The 2011 Gadget of The Year

After considering many test units, reviews and user ratings I have decided on the one tech device that I feel is worthy of the Geno's Gadget of The Year badge. I considered tablets, notebook computers, smartphones and many other types of beloved tech, but one device stood out as really having shook things up in the tech world.

Smartphones are probably the most aggressive tech segment with an increase in users over the last year it's absolutely staggering. Now with over 91 million smartphone users in the US, its no surprise that a smartphone takes top spot. There is no denying that 2011 has been the year of the smartphone, arguably one platform in particular. The Android platform represents 47 percent of  the US smartphone market share, with iOS (Apple iPhone) at around 29 percent and RIM (Blackberry) at over 16 percent respectively. Google's Android OS has shot to the top seemingly overnight and the surge has shown no sign of letting up any time soon. This is mostly due to the always entertaining, multitasking, large screened, super slim pocket computers like our Gadget of The Year winner.

Geno's Gadget of the year is the Samsung Galaxy S II. The stylish 4.5 inch Super AMOLED screen, Dual-Core processor, 4G SUPERPHONE is the best of the best. It has won over the hearts of smartphone users all over the world, even convincing smartphone users from other platforms to switch sides from iOS and other smartphone manufacturers.(Samsung Commercial link here)  It sports intuitive features like NFC, split-screen e-mail viewing, DLNA, home screen folders for organizing your apps, utilities and favorite places to visit on your phone as well as helpful widgets that integrate cloud services, social networking and multimedia. This phone is the REAL DEAL and it sets a high bar for manufacturers of future handsets to reach as smartphones evolve into the next phase of must-have technology.

What was your favorite tech of 2011? Was it a smartphone or some other form of technology? Have you seen Samsung's latest ad campaign and do you think the Galaxy S 2 is a major player or major hype. Please share your thoughts below in the comments. Happy New Year!


Via: MSNBC and comSCORE

Verizon Suffers More Outage Issues

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Verizon Wireless prides themselves in how advanced and reliable their 3G and 4G LTE wireless coverage is. They are known to tout this reliable reputation as the reason why they are not only the largest US wireless carrier but according to them they are also the best US wireless carrier. As of late they have faced some technical challenges that have resulted in uncharacteristic outages in some of their major wireless markets over the past month or so. Many users reported some small network interruptions in November that only affected a small number of service areas, but the more recent and widespread outages have all occurred in December affecting both 3G and 4G networks and affecting more subscribers. Verizon's VP of Network Engineering Mike Haberman offered an explanation today to shed light on what occurred. (Full statement below)

Haberman explained that the outages were all due to (IMS) IP Multimedia Systems not responding correctly on their 4G LTE network. He also noted that LTE customers were rerouted to their 3G connection during the outage to insure that those subscribers had active data connections and that they are making software upgrades while working closely with those who provide their network infrastructure to resolve the issues quickly.
 

Verizon 12/29/11 Statement: 

In light of recent events, Verizon Wireless shared the following statement about its 4GLTE Network:

The Verizon Wireless 4GLTE Network is BY FAR the largest and the most advanced 4GLTE wireless network in the world. It is available in 190 US markets and covers more than 200 million people, providing the fastest 4G Network in the US.

Being a pioneer comes with growing pains. The recent issues that affected our customers’ 4GLTE service were unforeseen despite careful, diligent planning, deployment and ongoing upgrade programs.

Problems customers experienced affected connectivity to the 4GLTE Network and data service. Several times, we have proactively “moved” 4GLTE customers onto our 3G Network to ensure all would have a data connection. For brief periods, such as on Wednesday (12/28), 4GLTE customers could not connect to the 3G Network as quickly as we would have liked.

Nonetheless, we estimate that 4GLTE connectivity has been available approximately 99 percent of the time this year.

Why have these issues occurred with our 4GLTE Network? Each incident has been different from a technical standpoint. Our engineers have successfully diagnosed those past triggering events, and they have not re-occurred. We also work diligently to rectify technical problems in the Network before they affect any customers.

Our 3G and 1X Networks continue to reliably process calls, texts and data for customers with 3G devices and, when necessary, 4GLTE devices. It continues to perform at the high level that established it as the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G Network.

We are taking a number of steps, working closely with our network suppliers, to ensure the integrity of our 4GLTE Network. We continue to fortify and improve its performance, and our goal is that our 4GLTE Network meets the same high standards that our 3G Network has set for performance and reliability.

Among the numerous measures we have taken or will take are: geographic segmentation, which enables us to isolate, contain and rectify network performance issues, and maintain service to the majority of customers when an issue does develop; and software fixes that we have developed, tested and applied regularly – and will continue to do so. Both will improve performance and reliability.

And finally, we are learning from these issues and applying the same gold standard to our 4GLTE Network that make our 3G Network the nation’s largest and most reliable.

Verizon Wireless is a leader and pioneer in this cutting edge technology that provides very fast wireless data speeds, enabling customers to enjoy the best experience in video and other wireless data usage. Clear unbuffered streaming video, super fast file downloads and wide availability are among the advantages we offer to customers. The capabilities of 4GLTE have exceeded many expectations.

We will not rest until our 4GLTE network performs at the very highest levels that our customers have come to expect from us.

Source: Gigaom

No T-Mobile Deal For AT&T

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As of today the bid for an acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T is over. AT&T and T-Mobile have both made announcements detailing the mutual decision.This has been an uphill battle for AT&T since they made their intentions known on March of this year. They face much opposition by the FCC, and Department of Justice among others and today it is officially over. (AT&T statement below)

With the 39 billion aquisition officially off the table, AT&T will have to pay out the break-up fee of $3 billion in cash and $1 billion in spectrum. The two parties did make a roaming agreement that will benefit both parties. Read the AT&T statement below and tell us what you think. Is this how you thought it would end and how will this effect the US wireless market going forward? Leave your thoughts and comment below.


AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) said today that after a thorough review of options it has agreed with Deutsche Telekom AG to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, which began in March of this year.

The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled.

“AT&T will continue to be aggressive in leading the mobile Internet revolution,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO. “Over the past four years we have invested more in our networks than any other U.S. company. As a result, today we deliver best-in-class mobile broadband speeds – connecting smartphones, tablets and emerging devices at a record pace – and we are well under way with our nationwide 4G LTE deployment.

“To meet the needs of our customers, we will continue to invest,” Stephenson said. “However, adding capacity to meet these needs will require policymakers to do two things. First, in the near term, they should allow the free markets to work so that additional spectrum is available to meet the immediate needs of the U.S. wireless industry, including expeditiously approving our acquisition of unused Qualcomm spectrum currently pending before the FCC. Second, policymakers should enact legislation to meet our nation’s longer-term spectrum needs.

“The mobile Internet is a dynamic industry that can be a critical driver in restoring American economic growth and job creation, but only if companies are allowed to react quickly to customer needs and market forces,” Stephenson said.

To reflect the break-up considerations due Deutsche Telekom, AT&T will recognize a pretax accounting charge of $4 billion in the 4th quarter of 2011. Additionally, AT&T will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom.

Via AT&T PR

The Verizon Galaxy Nexus is Official

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Verizon and Samsung confirm that the Galaxy Nexus will finally hit stores Thursday 12/15/11. This news is music to the ears of many who have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first smartphone to feature Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0).

Samsung's Facebook page states that the 4G LTE Galaxy Nexus will sell for $299.99 in Verizon Stores and online starting December 15th. This news comes fresh on the heels of a pretty vague statement earlier today by Verizon stating "The Galaxy Nexus was on track to launch this year". This statement basically echos what was said in October. Now, just hours later the device is official and will be available tomorrow. Verizon's statement can be read below.

I find it hard to believe that the first smartphone featuring Android 4.0, a High Definition 4.65" Super AMOLED curved glass display, Facial Recognition capabilities, a dual-core 1.2Ghz TI OMAP processor, a high capacity1850 mAh battery and 4G LTE data speed isn't worth a descent launch. I have not seen one TV spot advertising this device, but I lost count of how many iPhone 4S and Droid RAZR commercials I saw during "The X Factor" show broadcast on FOX! Why is this happening this way? It just seems wrong to me.

The Galaxy Nexus is indeed going on sale tomorrow, but is it landing with a BANG? It's a high end premium smartphone that brings a lot of "firsts" with it to the telecom world. What do you think about the Verizon Galaxy Nexus? Is this what you expected the launch to be like? Share your comments and thoughts on this subject below.

The Galaxy Nexus is still on track to launch this year. We will definitely send a press release to announce availability. Feel free to visit www.verizonwireless.com/galaxynexus to sign up for email alerts to be one of the first to know.
Via: Verizon Wireless PR , Samsung Facebook , AndroidAndMe

Samsung's New Ad Campaign: Ouch!

If you haven't seen Samsung's new ad campaign, you are missing out. Much has been made about the relationship between Google Android's flagship smartphone manufacturer, Samsung and Apple lately. Some people are die-hard Apple iPhone fans to the end and nothings gonna change that. Google Android fanboys have become quite a faithful following themselves. Despite the smartphone consumer buying war, there has also been a very intense legal battle between Apple and Samsung that has literally gone world wide. There are pending bans that Samsung has against Apple and bans that have made Samsung unable to sell their devices in Australia and other countries.

The Samsung ad can be seen here . The surprising part is that Apple's iPhone is clearly the butt of the joke in their commercials. You can identify the iPhone faithful as they stand in line hoping to be on of the first people to get "The Next Big Thing". Samsung's message is that "The Next Big Thing is already here" and it is the Samsung Galaxy S2 . What do you think? Do you think that the iPhone 4S is the next big thing? Is the Samsung Galaxy S2 the next big thing or is it something else entirely?

Via YouTube , Samsung

The Missing Galaxy Nexus...

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Where is the Galaxy Nexus? Google's first Android 4.0 smartphone is missing and no one seems to have any answers as to where it is and when its going to land on a US carrier. The latest news and rumors on the Galaxy Nexus are nothing short of a roller coaster ride. Samsung and Google told the world in October that the device was going to land in the US by December. This obviously didn't happen, instead we saw the UK get theirs, but the rumor mill hasn't slowed either. This weeks rumored US launch date was December 9th, todays online buzz suggests a December 13th launch, but that seams unlikely because Google, Samsung and Verizon are completely quiet.

So, what is really going on with the Galaxy Nexus and why has Verizon still not announced a release date for this highly anticipated smartphone? Is it still a work in progress with Verizon's LTE connection issues of late? Are Google and Big Red (Verizon) working on an agreement for the NFC features (Google Wallet) for the phone? Maybe they are just having some differing opinions on the direction of how to market the phone (DROID or No DROID). We really don't know!

The folks at phonedog.com are reporting that despite the fact that previous Nexus phones were pure Android, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus will likely include some pre-instaled bloatware apps as well as Verizon branding on the device. This is a big deal because previous Nexus phones have pridefully offered a pure Android OS experience without carrier branding, custom UI influences or apps outside of stock Google Android.

I for one have been excited about the upcoming Galaxy Nexus even before the big Hong Kong announcement in October and I'm obviously not alone in saying "Come on already!" In my opinion, it seems that Google may be tragically allowing Verizon to fumble a game changing touchdown! This is not just another smartphone, its the king of all Android phones and the first Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) device ever. This should be handled with quick and decisive action on the part of all parties directly involved and with the consumer moral high during the holiday season shopping season, there is no time like the present.

What do you think? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Tell us what you think of how the Galaxy Nexus launch is being handled or mishandled and when you think it will actually arrive in the US.


[ Via PhoneDog  ]