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Is the Droid the iPhone killer?

Quick answer is……No.

But the Motorola Droid is the 1st in a line of devices that are going to be severe body blows to the Apple/AT&T tandem.

Verizon – TMobile – Sprint – and even AT&T will have Android phones.

Apple’s closed system is going to do to their phone device what their “closed” system did to their personal computers.

Motorola came out with a very good device in the Droid, I have one. I came from Windows Mobile. Never got a iPhone becase AT&T’s coverage is spotty where I live. You have to admit those “MAPS” commercials that Verizon is throwing at AT&T are hurting.

All the handheld device manufacturers are jumping on the Android bandwagaon. One of the best IMHO is HTC, they are almost as good in ergonomics and design as Apple. I love the Droid, expect to get a years full of enjoyment out of it. But odds say this time next year I wll be holding a HTC Android phone on Verizon’s network. And by this time next year Android and iPhone will be on equal footing in the number of users and app store. And the year after that the iPhone IMHO will begin to decline. I didnt say go away, but decline.

Google found a perfect wave and so far seems to be surfing it like a pro. Apple rested on its laurals, tied themselves with one of the worst rated cell phone carriers out there. Windows totally dropped the ball on their platform. Palm/WebOS is looking dated. And Blackberry users keep fighting TOUCH SCREEN devices, get over it carriers and manufacturers, Blackberry users LOVE their little keyboards!!! Let them keep it!

Andorid is going to take over the mobile market…..just wait.

Wireless and Mobile News keeps track of our most read and loved articles. When we tallied the count, we realized that our daily page-views reveal the top trends in the wireless and mobile industries.

Apps Avalanche – The phrase “There’s an app for that,” became a reality in 2009. The app avalanche was propelled by a flurry of new apps stores and new development platforms. There are are cornucopia of excellent BlackBerry apps Android apps, Palm Pre webOS apps, and iPhone apps.

Android Invasion – Samrthone makers and carriers are embracing the Android OS quickly. Android smartphone market share could be as much as 10% in 2014. New Android handsets are increasing Android use. The Motorola Droid, HTC Magic, and HTC Hero generated 22 percent, 21 percent and nine percent of Android requests worldwide in November 2009, respectively.

iPhone Contenders and Pretenders – The iPhone raised the bar for smartphones and reviewers continually compare new smartphones to the iPhone. The Droid by Motorola’s advertising highlighted the things that “Droid Does” and iPhone Doesn’t. Smartphone’s with keyboards such as the key-boardtastic HTC Touch Pro2 sold-out. Although the iPhone came in first in the Wireless and Mobile News’ Top Ten Best Coolest Smartphones of 2009, the rest of the list contains a lot of iPhone contenders.

Social Networking Networked to Smarter Phones – Contacts are not just in a list any more. Friend connect via social networking with a plethora of ways. The Palm Pre’s almost physic ability to make and collect connections was followed by the Motorola Cliq’s Moto Blur.

On Horizon: Cloud Consciousness – Services, called could-sync, such as Funambol, Mobileme, Windows My Phone Lookout, and Dazzboard are collecting data and making connections and sharing easier.

Google Partnerships Take-Overs, Buy-Outs – Google’s partnership with Verizon for the Droid and Google mobile development teams are taking Google to mobile phones. Google’s acquisiton of AdMob and unlocked Nexus One Google phone are all part of them garnering more and more mobile mind-shares.

Cheaper All-You-Can-Use Voice, Text, Web – Boost, Virgin Mobile, MetroPCS and Cricket, created compelling programs and cut prices, heating up the competition. For example Cricket is offering a Holiday Special – Unlimited Talk & Text for $25/Month until 01/04/10.

Free Cell Phones for Low-Income Households – Tracfone’s Safelink and Virgin through programs in certain states are offering an alternative for low-income households.

Losing Landlines – Every year, more users in all incomes are cutting their landlines and opting for mobile only service.

More Wireless Devices and eBook Readers – The sold-out Nook, Amazon Kindle, Buy One Get One Free BlackBerry Other Device (Netbook or Modem) deals and MiFi USB modems that create Wi-Fi networks all contributed to mobile broadband usage in 2009.

The iPhone has moved into position as the most popular cell phone in the land, although it does not rank number one against all companies that sell multiple phone models, such as RIM.

For the first time, Apple’s iPhone became the most popular single mobile handset in the U.S.A., although not the most popular brand. Confusing, you say? Well, it just depends how you count. The iPhone has just become the most popular when compared to the other most popular individual models of handset from companies like RIM and LG. But if you count by brand, including all of the models built by each manufacturer, the iPhone comes in third behind RIM’s Blackberry line and all of LG’s handsets. In the case of RIM, brand to brand, the iPhone sells barely more than half of the numbers attained by the Blackberry brand, according to a story on MobileCrunch.

It is also interesting that there are only 4 manufacturers of cell phones on the top ten list: Apple, RIM, LG, and Motorola. The Motorola’s that made the list are all Razr V3’s. There is as yet no Android-driven phone on the list of the top 10. These numbers come from The Nielson Company, and provide the first proof that the iPhone is the most popular single handset. The Apple mobile platform continues to climb through the ranks across the board, continually posting better growth numbers than any other manufacturer.

It is interesting to note that every time a cell- or smart-phone survey or sales analysis appears, the iPhone has posted a little bit better numbers than has RIM. At the same time, almost none of the buzz this year has been about any of the RIM or LG phones. Instead, it has been all about the iPhone, the Pre or phones running Google’s Android operating system, though none of the Android phones have made the top-seller list yet. If the Blackberry is going to maintain its lead into the future, it needs to update its telephony and user interface ideas.

The next generation of iPhone will have a 5-megapixel camera. OmniVision Technologies will supply CMOS-ins for the new smartphone. Total up to 2010 for the iPhone will put 40-45 million sensors against 20-21 million in 2009, DigiTimes reports citing sources in the industry.

In the current generation of smartphone Apple iPhone 3GS used 3.2-megapixel sensor and the production of OmniVision. It is expected that by the end of 2009 the volume of supply OmniVision sensors of Apple, including sensors for players reach up to 65 million units.

Announcement of the new iPhone is expected in late June 2010 at the Apple WWDC developer conference in San Francisco.

Thousands of BlackBerry users across North and South America were left in the dark Thursday as the company reported a widespread email outage.

A spokeswoman with Research in Motion said the outage only affects emails sent and received on personal BlackBerry accounts. The majority of users on corporate plans should not have any interruption in service.

“Our technical teams are working to resolve this issue for those impacted, ” said Marisa Conway in an email from New York. “Phone services, browsing and PIN-to-PIN messaging are not impacted. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

The delays on the hand-held devices were reported just before 4 a.m.

Spokespeople from Rogers, Telus and Bell were not immediately available for comment Thursday.

The Nokia E71 has probably been the most popular smartphone in the company’s history after the 6600 and N95, and not without a reason. The phone packed in incredible messaging and communication features in a sexy, slim metal casing that made it such a hit. The E71 was not only preferred by business users at whom the phone was targeted but by anyone and everyone who wanted to buy a phone in that price range. Not ignoring such amazing talent, we at Techtree have always recommended the phone at every chance that we got for we would have been doing our readers a great disservice if we didn’t.

So how does one improve on such a successful formula? The main thing to do would be to take all the ingredients that made the phone such a massive hit and then improve upon things that it lacked. The E71 was an amazing phone but by no means was it perfect (however, it did came pretty close). So you take all the good things in the E71 and add all the things that were missing and what do you get? Well, you get the new Nokia E72.

What the E72 faces in front of it is by no means a small feat. Its predecessor has set the standard pretty and high and the E72 better be really good to come close to matching that benchmark. The E75 has tried before it but did not succeed. The E72 does have all it takes to achieve what the E71 did and more, but will it? Read on to find out.

Bundle:

* Nokia E72
* Battery
* Charger
* Headset + 3 Ear-tips
* Usb Data Cable
* 8 GB microSDHC card
* Carry Case
* Cleaning Cloth
* Wrist Strap
* User Manual

The E72 comes with a new headset that looked a bit like the one which came with the N97 mini, but the speakers were different and not of the in-ear type. Also, it lacks the music control buttons found on the N97 mini headset. You get a carry case and a cleaning cloth with the phone and an 8 GB microSDHC card, which is all very impressive. However what is unimpressive is the extremely short USB data cable.

Santa arrived early for Apple Inc. shareholders: The stock surged $6.94, or 3.4%, on Thursday to close at a record high of $209.04. That topped the previous closing high of $207 on Nov. 17.

The buzz continues to build about the company’s widely anticipated — albeit unconfirmed — tablet computer. The Financial Times reported that Apple has rented a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco in late January, most likely for a product announcement.

An Apple tablet, which some speculate might be called the “iPad,” is expected to be a cross between the iPhone, with its touch-sensitive screen and numerous useful applications, and the Amazon Kindle reading device, with its much larger screen.

But as the Financial Times notes, “Apple has explored making tablet style devices for years, only to back off. The company also has a history of scrapping products very close to their scheduled launch dates.”

But Apple stock bulls, who haven’t been held back much by such caveats, figure something good is coming in January. The shares now are up a massive 145% year to date, more than making up for their plunge in the market meltdown of 2008.

A share of Apple now costs about 27 times the average analyst forecast of the company’s earnings per share for the fiscal year that ends next September.

That’s expensive relative to the Standard & Poor’s 500 index’s average price-to-earnings ratio of about 15 based on 2010 earnings estimates.

But it’s a far cry from the P/Es of tech’s bubble days of the late 1990s.

Apple’s stock market value now is $188 billion, which tops IBM Corp. ($171 billion), General Electric Co. ($164 billion) and Chevron Corp. ($155 billion), among others, and is closing in on Google Inc. ($196 billion) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ($204 billion).

Besides the hype over the tablet, Apple is benefiting from Wall Street’s strong appetite for tech stocks in general in 2009.

And in a year like this, the rich tend to get richer as the calendar runs out: Some money managers are probably buying hot tech stocks to dress up their portfolios for year-end statements to clients.

Other tech issues hitting new 52-week highs Thursday: Google, Microsoft Corp., IBM and Xilinx Inc.

Year to date, the tech-dominated Nasdaq is up 45% to the S&P’s 25% gain.

A cold icy sidewalk isn’t where you would normally expect to find a sleeping British royal, but it is where Prince William spent the night to highlight the plight of the homeless.

William, second in line to the British throne, spent a night near Blackfriars Bridge in central London last week in an event organized by homeless charity Centrepoint.

“I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London’s streets night after night,” Prince William said in a statement on the Charity’s Web site.

Centrepoint’s CEO, Seyi Obakin also spent the night alongside the prince and said it was a difficult and dangerous experience.

“There was no shielding from the bitter cold, or the hard concrete floor, or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a good kicking,” Obakin said.

“One of the hairiest moments occurred when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn’t see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are.”

The group encountered temperatures that dipped to minus four degrees Celsius and slept in old sleeping bags, using cardboard boxes as shelter.

“It was the coldest night we had in a very long time and once it was over I think the prince appreciated the fact that he, unlike many homeless young people, could go home to a warm place,” Stuart Rogers, chief resources officer for Centrepoint told CNN.

“He didn’t look his usual self given that he just spent the night outdoors and in rough clothes, but he didn’t look too bad.”

Retailers all holiday season have unveiled deals earlier than they have in years past, and after-Christmas sales will apparently be no exception.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) will offer electronics and toys at prices carrying heavier discounts than they did before the holidays.

The nation’s biggest retailer wants to provide “additional savings for items that customers will be looking for after Christmas,” said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien.

Wal-Mart will have the usual post-Christmas goods to clear out–wrapping paper, ribbons and ornaments. The retailer, however, in a press release to be issued this week, touts deeper savings on toys and consumer electronics as part of its post-Christmas sale. Callouts include an eMachine 250-gigabyte netbook for $228, almost $150 less than a comparable netbook by Acer that Wal-Mart is currently carrying. Wal-Mart is also extending previously announced holiday deals, such as its selection of top Blu-ray movies for under $20.

Best Buy Co. (BBY) on Tuesday announced several computer deals it will offer online starting Christmas Day and in stores on Saturday, including a Lenovo netbook for $197–more than $100 off. It also outlined computer specials through Jan. 2 “for those with gift cards in hand.”

This is the first year Best Buy has advertised post-Christmas offers with a press release ahead of time, although the practice has been a standard one this holiday season since before Black Friday, the company said in an email statement.

“Gift cards have been popular for Best Buy this season, and we thought it made sense to reference their use for these deals come Christmas Day and after,” Best Buy said.

A RadioShack Corp. (RSH) spokeswoman said its online Christmas Day deals will soon be announced and include free shipping on thousands of products, as well as deals on mobile-navigation devices, cameras and accessories. RadioShack’s 48-hour sale after Christmas will feature free phones across all carriers with a two-year agreement, as well as specials on music and phone accessories.

The early after-Christmas promotions are not confined to electronics retailers.

J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) on Monday outlined numerous sale items for Saturday, with stores opening at 5 a.m.: the earliest post-Christmas opening in the company’s history stretching back more than 100 years.

J.C. Penney’s offerings include an “after-Christmas wake-up call” that customers can sign up for and receive on their mobile phone. The retailer said its offerings will include over 100 “doorbusters,” new merchandise in its teen departments and a white sale for such items as pillows and sheets.

J.C. Penney will also be extending hours on Sunday, Dec. 27, with stores opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 7 p.m.

“Historically, the day after Christmas is a big promotion day,” said Joe Feldman, a retail analyst at Telsey Advisory Group. “But to telegraph exactly what the promotion is this early is unusual. The ads usually start coming out on Christmas Day.”

Retailers appear to be repeating their approach to Black Friday by getting their ads out early. But last year, merchandise was broadly marked down after Christmas as stores tried to rid themselves of excess goods.

On the heels of last year, the worst Christmas buying season on record, it appears the promotions are more planned.

“Inventories have been pretty lean coming into the holiday season, so I don’t see that sense of panic the way we did around this time last year,” Feldman said.

Friends and family of actress Brittany Murphy held a private funeral Thursday for the 32-year-old who died unexpectedly of what authorities said were natural causes.

The service at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Cemetery featured Christian and Jewish clergy. It included the hymn “Amazing Grace” and a reading from “The Little Prince,” one of her favorite books.

“Today a wife, a daughter, a niece, a cousin, a family member and dear friend to thousands was laid to rest,” the family said in a statement.

“Brittany was an incredibly loving and passionate person … there are no words that can truly express the devastation felt by Brittany’s husband, mother, and everyone who attended the intimate service.”

Murphy was pronounced dead Sunday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Authorities have said she appeared to have died of natural causes. No sign of foul play or trauma was found.

The often bubbly, free-spirited actress appeared in films such as “Clueless,” “8 Mile,” “Don’t Say a Word” and “Girl, Interrupted.” She also lent her voice to animated works, including the movie “Happy Feet” — in which she also sang — and a regular voice role on the animated TV series “King of the Hill.”

Murphy was best-known for her work in a string of comedies earlier this decade, including playing lead roles in “Uptown Girls” alongside fellow Georgia native Dakota Fanning, and “Little Black Book” with Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates.

She is survived by her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, who also spoke at the service.

The family may have a larger public memorial early next year, but nothing is confirmed yet, spokesman Alex Ben Block said.