Linked List: September 14, 2012

Friday, 14 September 2012

Why the iPhone 5 on Verizon and Sprint Won’t Juggle Calls and Data ★

Brian X. Chen:

So why does Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy S III, a 4G LTE phone, juggle calls and data? Samsung added an extra antenna so that it pulls data from the 4G LTE network at the same time that it’s using another antenna to do voice, said Anand Shimpi, editor in chief of AnandTech.

Then why didn’t Apple add another antenna? Its phone already has two antennas in an effort to improve reception, and it would have had to add a third antenna just for Verizon and Sprint phones to give them simultaneous data and calls, Mr. Shimpi explained. Leaving that third antenna out allows Apple to simplify the process of manufacturing the iPhone for multiple carriers. Plus, in the next two years, 4G LTE technology is supposed to evolve to support voice calls, which would render another antenna unnecessary.

This is unfortunate, but it’s not going to keep me from switching to Verizon with my upgrade to the iPhone 5. I know some people use this feature, because I hear from them every time I write that it’s no big deal, but for me personally, I can’t remember ever wanting to use data while on a phone call. I just don’t make that many phone calls, for one thing. For another, the limitation only applies to cellular data — Wi-Fi works during phone calls on all iPhones.

(Also keep in mind that it’s not like the situation with the original EDGE iPhone, where, when you were using data, if you got a phone call it would go straight to voice mail. With Verizon and Sprint CDMA, an incoming phone call will interrupt your data stream and ring.)

Acer Cancels Smartphone Launch With Alibaba at Last Minute ★

Reuters:

Acer and Alibaba’s cloud computing unit had planned to launch the Acer CloudMobile A800 smartphone, using Alibaba’s mobile operating system, Aliyun, in Shanghai on Thursday afternoon. But when journalists showed up for the event they were not allowed to enter the venue and an Alibaba Cloud Computing official said the launch had been canceled due to internal reasons.

Later, Alibaba’s unit released a statement saying Acer had faced pressure from Google and pulled out of the launch event.

“Our partner received notification from Google that if the new product launch with Aliyun went ahead, Google would terminate Android product cooperation and related technical authorization with Acer,” Alibaba Cloud Computing said in a statement.

Open always wins. Don’t be evil.

Going Forward ★

From now on I’m going to watch more of David Mitchell’s work.

Why Apple’s Events Matter ★

Marc Ambinder:

So many other companies make their decisions about product announcements based not on what Apple might actually offer but when they might offer it. This suggests to me that, even in this marketplace, Apple’s actual power exceeds its marketplace share.

Which iPhone 5 for a Global Traveller? ★

Nice piece by Duncan Davidson examining the international roaming implications for the iPhone 5 from each of the U.S. carriers. See also: Glenn Fleishman at TidBITS.

The Register: ‘The iPhone 5 Undermines Western Democracy’ ★

When I said that the aforelinked Dan Lyons piece was the most foolish thing I’d seen all week, know that there was stiff competition. These guys are still harping on removable batteries and memory card slots.

Not Exciting at All ★

So after a few months of writing nowhere (not sure what happened to his Newsweek/Daily Beast gig), Dan Lyons popped up Wednesday with a piece for the BBC News trashing the iPhone 5. The whole thing is just preposterously trollish — e.g. “Somewhere up there, I can hear Steve screaming”; “This is what happens when a company is too cheap to invest in research and development”, or the fact that he wrote the whole thing before the iPhone 5 was even, you know, announced. But the crazy part, the part that really makes it a head-scratcher that the BBC News, of all sites, would run it, is the headline: “Apple’s iPhone Launches No Longer Excite”.

Do you want to count the number of news stories about the iPhone 5 over the past three days? Pre-orders that started at 3 in the morning on the U.S. east coast went so fast that the ship date moved to “two weeks” in just one hour. There are all sorts of subjective arguments we can have regarding the iPhone 5. But one thing is inarguable, a cold hard simple fact: millions of people around the world are excited to buy one. To argue that this iPhone announcement did not excite people is the most foolish thing I’ve seen all week.

iPhone 5 Panel at TechCrunch Disrupt ★

Short but sweet panel recorded at TechCrunch Disrupt Wednesday afternoon, a few hours after Apple’s iPhone 5/music event. On stage: Engadget chief Tim Stevens, Jason Snell, MG Siegler, Jim Dalrymple, and yours truly.

Decode DC: ‘House of (mis)Representatives’ ★

New on Mule Radio Syndicate: Decode DC, a national affairs show hosted by Andrea Seabrook. Shit’s getting serious on Mule Radio — production values on this show are off the chart.

‘Clearly’ ★

Brian X. Chen, writing for Bits:

“N.F.C. employs lower-frequency operation than cellular, requiring a longer antenna,” Mr. Strauss said. “That antenna is often wrapped around the battery in some cellphones, but a metal back shields any radio waves from reaching a nearby data terminal. Only plastic, Kevlar or similar backings will allow the radio connection for mobile payments. Clearly, Apple chose beauty over functionality with its aluminum back.”

Couldn’t just be Apple doesn’t think NFC is actually useful in the real world yet.

‘Ultimately’ ★

Take your time, HP:

“We are working on this,” Ms. Whitman told Fox Business Network in an interview. “We have to ultimately offer a smartphone because in many countries of the world that would be your first computing device…we are a computing company.”

When asked if the company was considering buying all or part of troubled BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion Ltd. (RIMM), she said, “No, that is not a direction that we’re going to head.”

Maybe they should buy Palm.