Yesterday, Steve Jobs announced that Apple was cutting the price of the 8 GB iPhone to $399 from $599. I was shocked at the 33% price cut, less than 10 weeks after its initial launch. Even though I was surprised by the price reduction, I wasn’t mad at Apple and just wrote it off as the penalty for being an early adopter of tech gadgets.
It turns out that a lot of early adopters were extremely upset and flooded Apple with complaints via email and on the Apple iPhone forum. In another surprising move and in response to the customer backlash, Jobs wrote an open letter to iPhone purchasers offering a $100 store credit…
“Third, even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.
Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple’s website next week. Stay tuned.
We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple.”
I’m surprised that the Apple marketing machine didn’t anticipate the negative customer reaction to the $200 price cut. But, I applaud Apple for listening to customer complaints and offering a $100 store credit, which is fair mea culpa. I can’t recall any other company who offered a credit to early adopters after a product price drop.
If the store credit isn’t enough for you and you purchased your iPhone using an American Express card, you have another option to recoup your $200. Call the AMEX Return Protection Program at (800) 297-8019 and ask to file a claim. Although AMEX’s price protection program expired October 2006, they are making an exception for the iPhone and will price protect it. There’s one caveat, AMEX is not guaranteeing they will accept your claim. However, if you are a customer in good standing, they will most likely credit your account $200 plus tax. Depending on the authority level of the AMEX rep you speak to, you may be able to get credit within 24 - 48 hours, otherwise you’ll have to wait 2 weeks for the claim review.
I have filed my claim with AMEX already and anticipate getting a $200 credit on my next bill. Coupled with a $100 Apple store credit, I’m a very happy iPhone owner, whose iPhone net price will be $300, not bad for being an early adopter?!?
Posted by: Chuck
Posted in PDAs, Cellular Phones
Tags americanexpress, amex, credit, gadgets, iphone, price, protection
Looking for a thin, stylish smartphone? Well, Amazon.com is offering the Samsung SGH-i607 BlackJack for free after a $75 rebate. The offer is good for new customers purchasing a 2 year service plan. The BlackJack is a super slim, feature rich smartphone that competes in the same category as the Motorola Q. The key differentiator of the BlackJack is its multimedia capabilities.
PC World reviewed the BlackJack and noted…
“The new Samsung BlackJack i607 from Cingular is the spitting image of the black Motorola Q. While the two PDA/phones look alike, the BlackJack features a lighter, narrower design and more-robust multimedia capabilities (such as streaming music and video). Overall, the BlackJack plays a good game, but it could use a performance boost and a few design tweaks.
The BlackJack’s major selling points include multimedia features that other PDA/phones in this class lack. Unlike the Verizon Wireless-based Q, for example, Cingular’s BlackJack streams XM radio (for $9 a month), as well as video content from CNN, HBO, and more (fees vary). One disappointment, though: Cingular doesn’t offer an over-the-air music download service. You can transfer songs from your PC, and then store them in the BlackJack’s meager 64MB of RAM. You’re better off buying a MicroSD card for music, video, photo, and other file storage.”
Additionally, Mypocketpcmobile.com has a detailed review of the Blackjack that compares it to the Motorola Q, T-Mobile Dash and the HP iPAQ hw6915. They conclude…
“The Samsung Blackjack is a slim, compact and stylish smartphone. It is a very good choice for those who want a mobile device powered with Windows Mobile 5.0 that has a design similar to the normal cell phones. It has 3G support and the user can experience the great advantages offered by Cingular’s 3G services like Cingular Video and Cingular music. The battery life can last for 5.5 hours talk time and 11 days standby. The price of $200 is very attractive.
On the negative side the Cingular Samsung Blackjack has not built-in Wi-Fi; the screen is small (2.2 inches), the expansion slot is a MicroSD, and the camera is only 1.3 mega pixels.
From the 4 devices we have seen in this review the Samsung has the smallest and lightest structure. The Motorola MotoQ has the most attractive design, the T-Mobile Dash has a built-in Wi-Fi but no 3G and the HP iPAQ hw6915 has a much more bulky design but with a complete set of connectivity options including a built in GPS receiver. The choice is up to the user”
And if you need a third opinion with more phone comparisons, check out MobileTechReview.com’s BlackJack review.
It’s unfortunate all these super slim PDA/phones are offered exclusively by only one carrier. I would prefer buying unlocked phones at reasonable prices and then using it on the carrier of my choice. It’s a shame that I have to switch carriers to be able to use the Samsung BlackJack or the Apple iPhone. Unfortunately, that’s the business model game the cell phone providers want to play to lock subscribers into long term contracts.
Enough of my mini-rant on cell phone providers. If you’re interested in the free Samsung BlackJack, make sure to read the fine print (2 year contract and Conditional $250 Equipment Discount). The $250 conditional discount basically states that Amazon has the right to charge you $250 if you don’t keep your Cingular account in good standing or terminate your service before a 181 day period. Don’t worry, I’ve bought multiple cell phones from Amazon without any issues.
Personally, I’m still happy with my MotoQ. I would have no complaints if the iPhone wasn’t just announced. It’s funny how such a cool, hip phone by Motorola can become instantly passé. Thanks a lot, Apple!
Posted by: Chuck
Posted in PDAs, Cellular Phones
Tags blackjack, cingular, i607, mobile5.0, review, samsung, smartphone, windows
After watching Steve Jobs’ Macworld keynote address and introduction of the iPhone, all I can say is… wow, brilliant, amazing, spectacular, fantabulous… there aren’t enough superlatives that I can give the iPhone. The user interface and design are simply beautiful, intuitive and elegant. The iPhone consists of three devices rolled into one.
If Apple released these products individually, each device would be revolutionary. Words cannot describe how cool and mind blowing the iPhone is. To truly appreciate this gadget, you’ll have to watch the 2007 Macworld keynote address. If you can’t watch it all, skip to 01:23:20 in the keynote address or 00:57:00 in the iPhone introduction video to see Steve Jobs demonstrate a real world example of iPhone use… music, phone call, photo, email, web browsing, end call, automatically back to music… wow!
Unfortunately, the iPhone won’t be available until June 2007. Pricing is $499 for a 4 GB model and $599 for an 8GB model. Both require a two year contract with Cingular, the exclusive iPhone wireless carrier.
I’ve had a bad experience with Cingular in the past but I’m completely ready to drop Verizon and my Motorola Q come June. As you can tell, I’m super excited about the iPhone but I’m just as psyched for future Apple products using multi-touch technology.
Is the iPhone the holy grail of gadgets? I don’t know, but it comes pretty darn close. Maybe Apple can add 3G, wireless iTunes synching, GPS, over-the-air HDTV antenna, a heart rate monitor…
To get a complete overview and specs of the phone, go to Apple iPhone.
Update 01.17.2007: Added an entertaining video from Dave Pogue of the New York Times.
Posted by: Chuck
Posted in MP3 and Digital Media Players, PDAs, Cellular Phones
Tags apple, cingular, gadgets, iphone, ipod, multitouch
The Motorola Q smartphone was one of the most anticipated and hyped smartphones to go to market. After three months of using the Q, does it live up to the hype? For me the answer is yes, but I never had “Blackberry killer” expectations.
My previous phone was a Samsung i730 Pocket PC phone. The i730 is a great PDA device but it was terrible phone. There weren’t enough notifications for missed calls and voicemails out of the box. And the voice quality was awful. No one I talked to could hear me clearly or loud enough.
So I decided to sacrifice the great PDA features of the i730 for the Motorola Q and its better calling features, RF and voice quality. I’m very happy with the Q as a phone. Voice quality both listening and talking is excellent and I can have an actual conversation without hearing… What did you say?
I don’t think it’s fair comparing the Q with the Treo, i730 or Blackberries. Windows Mobile 5.0 is not robust enough to make it a fair comparison. Comparing a Smartphone OS to a Pocket PC OS, Palm OS or Blackberry/RIM OS is an apple to oranges comparison. They are different tools for different people. Granted, it’s Verizon/Motorola’s fault for hyping the phone as the Treo/Blackberry killer.
If you are looking for great phone with adequate PDA/productivity features get the Q. However if you are looking for a great PDA/productivity phone get a Pocket PC, Treo or Blackberry device.
For my needs, the Q is the perfect phone. It’s a great phone first and a PDA/PIM second. The features that I love about the Q are:
The misses for the Q are:
Geek.com wrote the best Motorola Q review that I have seen to date. Over the last month, ZDNet’s Between the Lines blog has written a series on the Q after everyday usage. David Berlind disses the Q pretty hard but I don’t agree with most of his issues, particularly his second post that dogs the Q for missing the dial by directory feature. The issue is valid but the fix takes 10 seconds to install.
Software Update
I’m happy with my Q because I updated the software yesterday and did some hacks to improve the functionality. I’ll start out with the new Motorola Q Software Update. The new software update provides the following enhancements:
First off, it’s an easy update if you follow the instructions exactly. Second, all of your personal data (pictures, music, ringtones, background images, etc.) will be deleted and you will have to reinstall any 3rd party apps that are on your Q.
Before beginning the update process, I would think diligently about the need to update your Q. If you really need direct push email or DUN, then go for it, but be warned that you could run into issues as demonstrated by this 18+ page thread on Qusers.com forum. If you are not comfortable with troubleshooting your phone and are currently happy with its performance I recommend holding off on the update.
Best case scenario the update takes 15 - 20 minutes and additional time to reinstall your 3rd party apps and personal data. Worst case scenario, your phone may get hosed. If you are a glutton for punishment, here are additional directions for the software update.
At this point, I hope your phone is successfully updated. If you run into any issues, search the following forums Qusers.com forum or PDAPhone.com forum for troubleshooting tips. Again, I want to re-emphasize that the software update process should go smoothly if you follow the instructions. However, the process is not for someone who is uncomfortable troubleshooting issues.
Hacks
There is a ton of great information on the Qusers.com forums and the PDAPhone.com Q forum. I’ll point out a couple of registry hacks from these forums that have improved performance and functionality of my Q.
Before you begin, download the Resco Explorer 2005, which is a registry editor and file explorer. If you are not comfortable with editing registry settings don’t attempt any of these hacks because you could damage your phone. So proceed at your own risk.
Dial by Directory
This is an easy hack because a forum user packaged the install files into a self-installing CAB file. This hack will display the alphabet mapping for the number keys.
The directions are simple for this hack. Just click on one of the four dialing images that you like and download the appropriate CAB file. Then transfer the file to your Q using ActiveSync and remember the location. On your Q, use Resco Explorer and navigate to the CAB file location and click on it. The file should self-install. Power cycle your Q and you should be good to go.
To find out more details about this hack, go to this Qusers.com forum topic. Thanks to tonyxcom, gadget, isayx3, Ben74 and blue rocket for contributing to this great fix.
Remove Sent Message Confirmation with SMS
If you hate the sent message confirmation that is displayed after you send an SMS message, use the following registry hack to disable the confirmation message.
There are several other registry hacks for changing the startup sound, increasing call history, changing the start menu from grid view to list view and several others on this Qusers.com registry hack thread.
Motorola Q Accessories
If you are not interested in hacking your Q, then check out these Q accessories.
Finally, if you are looking for the next “Blackberry killer”, check out the Nokia E62.
