In-stat finds in a recent study that the vast majority of the United States will own a smartphone and/or a tablet in just a few years. With the insane growth of both Android and iOS, these figures are not surprising at the least. In fact, with the App Store and the Android Market Place and their plethora of applications that are preached about on TV shows, office watering holes, and even shown off at the kids soccer games, more and more of those stuck with a dumb phones are kindled to move up.

Take a read of the findings…

In-Stat Release

Video entertainment in the US now allows consumers to access more content, on more devices, and in more places, than ever before. In-Stat (www.in-stat.com) forecasts that within five years, over 200 million people in the US will own a smartphone and/or a tablet PC. This market trend will have a huge impact on how video entertainment is acquired and consumed.

“To track the use of mobile devices for entertainment purposes, In-Stat has introduced a unique research service called the US Multiscreen Video Database,” says Keith Nissen, Research Director. “The US Multiscreen Video Database quantifies consumption and interaction with video entertainment on mobile devices both outside and inside the home. This new research complements that of the US Digital Entertainment Database, which tracks the rapidly evolving online/pay-TV video market.”

The US Multiscreen Video Database is updated quarterly in Excel format and it quantifies:
Mobile device shipments
Mobile broadband subscriptions
Mobile video content and sources
Frequency of use
Primary devices being used
Location of use
Multiscreen forecasts including the adoption of social TV, device-to-device interworking, paid mobile apps/services, and advanced multiscreen network features

In addition, the US Multiscreen Video Database(#IN1105139MSV) is an invaluable trusted resource for market statistics and analysis. Quarterly updates track key metrics and five-year forecasts indicating that by 2015:
86% of smartphone/tablet users will view video on their mobile devices.
Nearly 60% of smartphone/tablet owners will also be viewing OTT video at home.
There will be nearly two smartphone/tablet owners per OTT household.
The average Apple household will have four Apple devices.
The average Google Android household will have over two Android devices.

In another life, I use to install hotspots for the Northern California Starbucks when ran by T-Mobile. Post-install required mapping out the signal strength of each stores interior as well as exterior. T-Mobile had a threshold it required that installers had to adhere to which sometimes could be difficult to convey on our network maps.

Boy, do I wish I would have NetSpot back then. This application sucks in a map and after just indicating two points of references distance, it scales it for you and your off to your network map. Save the results and you’re done. This thing would have saved me so much time.

Now anyone can map signal strength in there home or business and during the beta, they can do it for free!

From NetSpot
NetSpot (is currently in beta) is a handy utility which allows you visually analyze how exactly your wireless network operates in your office, house, campus, cafe, airport, or actually any building or area.

All you need to do is to load a map of your premise, specify real-life scale, and denote the borders of the survey area. Then you walk or drive the survey area pointing your position on the map and waiting a bit while NetSpot scans radio signals in that place. The more data you collect the more accurate the resulting report will be. Then within a single click you can export the report of your interest into PDF.

Thanks to NetSpot you can easily analyze any existing wireless network: map current Wi-Fi coverage, reveal coverage voids and channel usage, visualize overlapping APs, etc. You can also use NetSpot for Wi-Fi planning, network expansion, signal leakage detection and much more!

NetSpot is completely free while being a beta and we would appreciate an opportunity for it to be covered at your website (you can test NetSpot in your own office:) ). You are welcome to download NetSpot beta from here http://netspotapp.com/download/NetSpot.dmg

NetSpot is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 and higher.

I have been looking for years for that perfect workout companion for my iPhone and have never really found such the thing. That may have changed with the Scosche myTREK. The myTREK, with the free iPhone app, tracks your works outs, heart beats, miles ran, pace, goals, and yes, it plays your music. Scosche also decided we didn’t need a large bulky chest band and put all its tracking hardware into a wrist band instead that relies on Bluetooth to talk to your iPhone or iPod touch during your work out. And, if you’re an insane person and like to push your body, you get five hours of charge time on the myTREK. A common USB port is all you need to rejuice your myTREK.

Yup, I’m on a trek to find a myTREK.

Press Release
Scosche Industries, award-winning innovator of consumer technology, is excited to announce the availability of the highly anticipated Scosche myTREK pulse monitor and app for iPhone and iPod touch. The Scosche myTREK, an International CES Innovations 2011 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree, allows users track their pulse, calories burned, distance, speed, pace, store past workouts and much more.

“At 24 Hour Fitness, we know that fitness tools can be very useful in helping people achieve their goals; whether it’s to lose weight, run a faster marathon or to get healthier,” said Bill Quinn, senior vice president of merchandising, 24 Hour Fitness. “We are excited to be a Scosche launch partner for the new myTREK pulse monitor and offer our members another option to support them with their fitness journey.”

“Scosche has long been the most popular consumer electronics brand sold in 24 Hour Fitness gyms and on their website,” said Kas Alves, Executive Vice President of Scosche Industries. “We were thrilled when they agreed to carry the myTREK pulse monitor in 286 24 Hour Fitness locations across the country.”

After pairing the Scosche myTREK with an iPhone or iPod touch users are prompted to download the free accompanying app. Once the app is downloaded the myTREK is ready to go and users can begin tracking their pulse.
The myTREK utilizes two LEDs combined with a photo sensor to detect minute changes in the user’s blood pressure to accurately measure pulse. A built-in accelerometer allows the myTREK to adjust for movement during exercise from the user’s heartbeat allowing for an extremely accurate measurement of pulse and calories burned.

Users can personalize their workouts by selecting their type of activity, target training zone and type of workout. A male or female voice prompt updates the user’s progress in real time letting them know how close they are to accomplishing their goals or if they have moved outside their desired target heart rate zone.

Work out data is then stored on the device and can be viewed in the app’s calendar to see what days the user worked out and what was accomplished during each individual workout.

The myTREK’s comfortable arm-strap design fits over the muscular portion of the user’s forearm and provides convenient track and volume control. A lithium ion battery provides 5 hours of continuous workout time before the myTREK needs to be charged with the included USB cable. The myTREK ships with small, medium and large sized armbands to ensure the perfect fit.

The Scosche myTREK is available now at Apple retails stores, 24hourfitness.com, 24-Hour Fitness gyms and Scosche.com for $129.99 and is coming to Target, Apple.com and Verizon Wireless stores soon.

The next iPhone must have LTE. Not to compete against the other first-generation “4G” phones from Android but to bring back the Apple synergy of its hardware and software. As it stands today, if you have an AT&T (GSM) iPhone 3G or higher, your current iOS version is 4.3.3. Verizon users are still stuck at 4.2.8 absent of many of the GSM users features such as AirPlay. While Apple did not comment if iOS 5 would be pushed to both GSM and CDMA handsets at WWDC, the reality is, subsequent updates will most likely be forked like today’s iOS 4 revisions.

Being behind the GSM folks is no fun, especially if some prime features are not making it to your phone. Couple that with the fact that CDMA can not perform simultaneous voice and data tasks like the GSM 3G iPhones do and now you even more separation. Also certain features, such as disabling Caller ID and Three-way Calling are not supported by CDMA iPhones.

While I despise AT&T and it’s horrible signal, dropped calls, slow data rates, and other issues, at least I have the most current iOS, full-feature set, and when not in an EDGE network – Hey Ha Bell, others are working on “4G” and you still don’t have a full 3G network! – I can chat while checking email or surf the web. These are all important to me and are enough to weigh the scales into the Death Stars favor, just by a tad, for me to carry on another year with it before going to Verizon.

Lastly, even leaving the Evil GSM carrier a year early with its termination fee would be cheaper than purchasing a new LTE iPhone with Verizon since it does not subsidize the iPhone year after year like AT&T.

I guess what it comes down to is over all, Verizon is inferior. Ouch, I don’t like saying that, but it’s the truth as it stands today. However, if Apple surprises us with the next generation iPhone supporting LTE, then heck, it’s good-bye AT&T.

T-Mobile wants to be bought out bad. Tom Sugrue, T-Mobile Senior Vice President of Government Affairs (a title for everything, huh?), is desperate and he proves it with his press release below. Instead of acknowledging critics issue of less competition and how this will hurt the consumer, Sugrue simply deflects the issue and mentions another one. While Sugrue would like us all to believe there is a crisis that a merger with AT&T would “fix”, he completely misses the point. Granted, spectrum is tight; however, the FCC is handling this with recent sales in which all the carriers and even Google have put bids in for.

Mr. Sugrue, spectrum is not the issue here, competition is. With the Death Star absorbing you, Vader will be larger than before and AT&T will continue to raise prices while forgetting to improve service. Simply look at its last earnings call where it complained about the cost of bandwidth and how it slyly stated it would put in the same dollar amount in the next year for network upgrades. This ignores AT&Ts increased gains and thus decreases the percentage from 11% in the previous year to nearly a 5% investment this year. This means AT&T will spend HALF on its network than before. I guess this also means AT&T isn’t too concerned about the spectrum, either, Sugrue.

Press Release
BELLEVUE, Wash – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Today, Tom Sugrue, T-Mobile Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, issued the following statement:

“The opponents of the AT&T-T-Mobile merger have had their final say as part of the FCC’s formal pleading cycle and, not surprisingly, they have failed to offer any credible arguments to support their view that the Commission should deny the transaction. What is surprising, however, is their repeated head-in-the-sand insistence that no spectrum crisis exists. As part of their application, AT&T and T-Mobile provided a compelling showing of their need for more spectrum to continue to provide quality service to customers and roll out new technologies in the future. And the two companies have demonstrated that a combination of their networks and spectrum holdings is by far the best way to solve this problem and ensure improved service and enhanced innovation. The FCC has long acknowledged the harmful consequences of ignoring the spectrum crunch, and we are confident it will approve our proposed market-based solution.”

I remember riding my bike through the dirt terrain of San Jose years ago while enjoying the tunes of my Walkman. Yes, I wrote Walkman and yes, it was the one that played cassette tapes. Moving on, both in time and in post, I often longed for easy access to my controls while riding. I came up with a lot of DIY applications but none seemed to really satisfy me.

Years later, the iPhone and iPod touch, and such, rule music and much more on that same path I once rode. While the format of the device has changed, the need for easy access and a great mount hasn’t. Bracketron has answered this void with a snazzy weather proof case coupled with a C-Clamp. For only $40, I would jump on this faster than you could ask, “Where your headphones the yellow kind?”

Press Release
Bracketron, the leading manufacturer in mounting solutions for mobile consumer electronics, announces the launch of the All-Weather Soft Case Bike Mount, the ultimate mobile device mount for recreational and competitive cyclists. The All-Weather Soft Case Bike Mount conveniently positions your mobile device on your bicycle handlebars so you can easily monitor your speed and trip data with your device’s GPS or other cycling apps. The detachable weather-resistant case offers great protection and has a clear screen that allows you to use your device’s touchscreen functions while in the case. The All-Weather Soft Case Bike Mount is available now for $39.95 at Bracketron.com and at REI retail stores in July.

“The All-Weather Soft Case Bike Mount is part of a new line of sports and recreation accessories from Bracketron that offers true flexibility and functionality,” said Mark Mandel, Executive Vice President of Bracketron. “While our in-car mounts remain hugely popular, we’re excited to continue to expand our offering of mobile mounts and accessories to cater to active consumers who use their smartphones and mobile devices to help track and achieve their fitness goals.”

The All-Weather Soft Case Bike Mount is the ideal solution to quickly, easily and securely mount your mobile device on your bike handlebars. The mount does not require tools and sets up in just seconds. It features an adjustable C-clamp with three latch levels that ensure the mount’s tight grip to the bike handlebars. The mount is height adjustable and includes a ball swivel adjustment feature that makes it easy to position your device for optimal viewing. A weather-resistant case snaps onto the mount with a safety lock and can be quickly detached for security purposes when not in use. In addition, water resistant zippers form a tight seal to protect your gadget from the elements. The case includes four protective foam inserts that provide a snug fit for your mobile device when inside, and a clear screen allows you to use your device’s touchscreen while it is in the case. The All-Weather Soft Case Bike Mount is compatible with most handheld mobile devices such as iPhone, iPod, Smartphones and MP3 players.

If you’re looking for a small compact Bluetooth keyboard for your iPad, tablet, or other Bluetooth pairing device, then you may be interested in the iTablet Thumb Keyboard. It’s small size isn’t what makes it unique or the backlit keys for low light conditions, but the fact that HX Global placed a touchpad on other side of where the keys are. The idea is, you can use your index finger to navigate your mouse-based tablet or notebook while using your thumbs to type. While I’ve never been a thumb typer, I know many who are and this may be your ticket. It comes in both black and white. No delay on the white shipping date.

Press Release
HX Global has announced the immediate availability of the itablet Thumb Keyboard, a new Bluetooth keyboard with patented rear-facing touchpad. It is compatible with a wide range of Bluetooth-equipped devices including iPad, iPhone, tablet computers (Android & Windows) and mobile phones.

The itablet Thumb Keyboard is also compatible with many other Bluetooth-enabled devices including the latest interactive IPTV systems providing a convenient way for users to interact with screen content from the comfort of their armchair. In addition, it can be used with commonly used gaming platforms including the Sony PS3 and Nintendo XBox 360.

According to Francis Davis of AHX Global: “The Thumb Keyboard provides a fast and intuitive way to create emails, tweets, texts and documents. It is the perfect antidote to the awkward onscreen keyboards used to enter data and text into today’s mobile devices that do not have proper keyboards.”

The itablet Thumb Keyboard is battery operated and ergonomically designed to be comfortable to hold and easy to use at the same time. The patented rear-facing touchpad provides fast and accurate cursor control using either index finger, and the keys are backlit for use in low lighting conditions. The compact size of this new keyboard (5.9 x 3.5 inches) also means that it can fit into a standard tablet carry bag.

This new keyboard is available in black or white versions with US and UK keyboard layouts. Other commonly used keyboard formats will be launched in Q3 2011.

Verizon drops the bomb on its 4G hotspot today with the release of the Novatel Wireless MiFi 4510L 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot. What that all that means is mobile warriors will now be able to enjoy download speeds between 5 to 12Mbps on either their Windows, Mac, or Linux system. Oh don’t worry you AT&T-Mobile and Sprint users, if your smartphone is equipped with 802.11b/g/n, then you can join the download party, too. Speaking of smartphone, LTE’s upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps were made for getting some of that just taken video up to YouTube or UStream nice and quick.

The blazing MiFi will give you up to 5 hours of use from its battery and supports all the latest security from WPA2 to VPN pass-through so corporate IT will be happy to issue you one of these puppies.

Small enough to tuck into your pocket but with a screen large enough to give you enough deets as to power, signal strength, and user connectivity, the new MiFi 4510L will set you back $100 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year commitment. Be sure to check out rate plans in the links below.

Press Release
Verizon Wireless and Novatel Wireless (NASDAQ: NVTL) today announced that the award winning MiFi® 4510L 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot that runs on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network is available online today at www.verizonwireless.com. The MiFi 4510L 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot is the next-generation of the Novatel Wireless MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, building on innovation and design, proven performance and industry-leading user experience.

The MiFi 4510L allows businesses and consumers to create a personal Wi-Fi cloud capable of sharing the high-speed Internet connectivity of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE and 3G Mobile Broadband with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously. The 4G LTE MiFi 4510L includes new features, such as an intuitive status display on the device showing signal strength, battery level, roaming and number of connected devices.

Key features:
· 4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage areas
· Backward compatible with the Verizon Wireless 3G network
· Simple one-touch connectivity
· Intuitive eInk® display with status indicators
· Security: WEP/WPA/WPA2 and VPN pass-through support
· Supports Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems
· Advanced integrated antenna technology
· Battery: up to 5 hours usage
· WiFi connectivity: 802.11b/g/n
· Dimensions: 3.74”(H) x 2.36”(W) x 0.53”(D)

Pricing and availability:
· The 4G LTE MiFi 4510L is available today online at www.verizonwireless.com and will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on April 21 for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a 4G Mobile Broadband plan.
· 4G LTE Mobile Broadband plans begin at $50 monthly access for 5GB. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. Data usage can be tracked by logging on to My Verizon online at www.verizonwireless.com/myverizon.

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network, launched in December 2010, is the fastest, most advanced 4G network in the United States, providing speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless’ 3G network. Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network currently reaches one-third of all Americans, with plans to expand the network to the company’s entire 3G coverage area over the next three years.

For more information on the MiFi 4510L 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot or other Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Well, life goes on at T-Mobile while the rest of the world debates if AT&Ts bid for the Number 4 carrier will happen or not. Until it does, or not, Germany’s little cellular carrier that can has just given the world the option to text as much as they want, suck down as much data as they can, and yap all day long to their hearts content for one price of $79.99. That’s a penny under $80. Not a bad plan at all and maybe, just maybe, it will hold over and be grandfathered into AT&T…until you purchase an iPhone, of course, and you have to go with a rip-off AT&T plan.

Yup, if you want probably one of the best unlimited plans available today – for least a year – then head over to a T-Mobile store now.

Press Release
T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced that a new, single-line unlimited plan is available for just $79.99 per month, with an Even More™ plan and a two-year contract. The new plan offers great value for new and existing customers with unlimited nationwide calling, texting and data – with no overage charges – on America’s Largest 4G Network™.

1 Based on comparison against comparable post-paid plans for smartphones from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint; does not include taxes and fees or cost of phone. Plan features and limitations may vary. Data as of March 2011.

Boy oh boy, am I getting tired of all these iPhone 5 delay stories. First we got the suppliers leaks that there was not enough activity happening to prime the pump for an iPhone summer release. Then the Japanese earthquake added some spin into it. Now the latest is Apple’s own WWDC announcement only talks about – gasp! – software. I mean, shouldn’t a developers conference be talking about hardware?!

I don’t get the short-sightedness of everyone.

Supply concerns or lack of ramp-up: wasn’t that a similar story just as early as late February for the iPad? Then what happened? Oh ya, the iPad 2 was released EARLIER than originally anticipated. Huh, go figure.

Take a short read of Apple’s WWDC 2010 press release and – Holy cow, NO mention of hardware?! Oh man, I bet the iPhone 4 will be delayed then. Oh wait a minute, that’s right, it came out in late June.

Well, what about that TechCrunch story about this cloud thing Apple is working on? Isn’t that just going to shove the iPhone back because Apple can’t possibly do two things at once, right? Maybe, if you believe TechCrunch but if you – once again – just go through Apple’s own press release archive you find some interesting news from the past. Like, “Apple Announces iTunes 6 With 2,000 Music Videos, Pixar Short Films & Hit TV Shows” in 2005 a month before it also released, what were they, oh yes, new iPods. This was BIG news back then so how could it every take on that huge undertaking AND release new hardware the next month? Incredible.

How about the following year when Apple proclaimed, “Apple Announces iTunes 7 with Amazing New Features“. Some of those new features was the ability to play, let me check, yes, movies. I mean, full fledged movies that filled up the screen on your brand new iPod. Dang, two years in a row!

Well that was then and this now. I mean Apple hasn’t really been spreading things out. Look at the iPhone 4 for Verizon for example. That came at the end of January. Sure, but old hardware doesn’t count.

Let’s look to September 1st of last year when Apple presented the world with “Apple Introduces iTunes 10 With Ping“. Ya, big deal, it jumped into social networking and it wasn’t that tremendous – not like a cloud undertaking would be. Um, let me see, oh yes, more press releases such as, “Apple Premieres New Apple TV for Breakthrough Price of $99“. Along came Netflix to the streaming party with that brand new Apple TV and some other amazing features. While we’re talking hardware, let’s remind the reader of the “Apple Introduces New iPod touch“, and of “Apple Reinvents iPod nano With Multi-Touch Interface” (you caught that Reinvents part, right?) as well as that little guy, “Apple Unveils New iPod shuffle“. Phewf, my wrist hurts from so much copy-and-pasting. How did Apple do ALL that in just one day?!

No, I think too many are getting caught up in the “hot story” of now and not looking at the past for some kind validation. Sure, Apple can change how it does things, I fully understand that, but I just do not see strong evidence for a slipped iPhone 5 ship date.

Reality is this for Apple: Android is taking over and the iPhone is no longer the must-have phone it once was. The longer Apple waits to push the phone, the more it slips in market share. Even if iOS 5 is completely revamped like TechCrunch claims, the average consumer won’t even hear about this and will buy what’s in front of them at the local cellular store. “Oh, that new Android just came out and the iPhone is over a year old now? Ya, let’s get the Android instead.”

Jobs isn’t dumb, he invented this game. Keep a steady upgrade cycle with minor but still cool features with each revision and people will keep buying Apple gear. Look to the iPod going on strong with a decade of fall updates.

Heck, I really believe the Ring Master himself is letting these little tid bits of “stories” slip out to throw not the press off but the competition. Give it false hope it has more time. Again, remember the iPad 2.

So what to make of the cloud? This story has been going for over a year now. No one knows for sure why Apple purchased Lala or why it has that massive data center in South Carolina but they both probably do have a relation to one another. When will the news come? Maybe at WWDC but again, how much does it tie into coding? Apple’s cloud is Apple’s cloud. Don’t expect any APIs for it. Because of this, I don’t see the cloud floating in on Moscone West for WWDC 2011. I see it as a separate iTunes event…with, ya, an iPhone 5 shown off.