Cool toys and Gadgets

Section: Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack, Features

This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

LG Lotus

Egads!  A square flip phone?  This thing is like a last generation Nano morphed into a crazy flip phone.  There was a reason RIM didn’t make a flip QWERTY:  It is frickin stupid.  Cramming the keys in there is just plain nuts, come on, LG.  Are you that desperate to make a breakthrough device that you’ll make anything someone says? 

Here is a hint: it isn’t so much about the phone these days, it’s how it works.  Give us a clean UI that isn’t impossible to change settings on.  Give us access to everything.  Give us clean, crisp, commonsensical menus and an app store folks want to develop for.  If you can’t do that, license it from Apple.

AT&T says no to Android

In an interesting move, Ralph de La Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets was asked about Android and the response given was basically it isn’t mature enough yet.  AT&T wants to see more non-Google apps, and a following. 

You know what?  I agree with him.  Android isn’t doing anything spectacular yet.  The apps are good and interesting but I am not seeing the flurry of activity that we did with iPhone apps and part of that is they are all free right now on the Android Market.  If there is not cash to be made then there isn’t going to be a flurry.  Yet.  Anyone besides Google hanging around to see how this pans out?  I think AT&T is playing this one right. 

Sprint is still around?

Note to Sprint: watching NFL is the last thing I want to do with my phone.

That is right, dead f’n last.  I can’t think of a phone with the battery power to even go two hours fully juiced and receiving content like that.  Seriously Sprint, this is what you think we want???  It takes a couple of crack rocks to get that high where highlighting bandwidth issues and power issues with one stroke looks good.  The NFL must have giggled the whole ride home from that meeting.

And anytime one of your leaders says, “We’d be foolish not to do this” you know they’ve been had.

Moto is back on my list this week.

Moto, seriously?  You are going to ban the $2500 phone from selling on eBay are you?  Let’s make this simple: a) ain’t no one going to buy this 10-iPhone equivalent b) if anyone does, they are going to do whatever they want with it.  That is kinda how things work, you know, here on planet Earth.  Perhaps on planet Crack Rock, you can control something after you’ve sold it, but not so much here.  Unless you are Apple.  Crackers.

Quick name two products each of these companies make: Panasonic and Sanyo.  Go!

I can’t, can you?  Two greats from tech past, apparently still going strong want to get together and make some sweet techy love.  Uh, OK, as long as we don’t have to watch.  I suspect both make black, rectangular, flat TVs.  They probably make a ton of other stuff that is OK as well.  I can’t wait to see the new mashed up name.  SonicYo would make an awesome name.  Or Sanasonic.  Anyhow, good luck with that one.

Gadgetell’s own Natesh Sood

Where do you find all these bizarre MP3 players?  You bring us the absolute craziest knock offs and stuff I never get to see in a store and do so like you were hanging out with the designer over the weekend.  From wacko touchscreen PMPs to GPS units even the manufactures don’t know about, you dig it up like a gopher and present it to us for all to see.

Dane-Elec?  You hold this company up like it is a household name around the Sood residence, yet I’ve never heard of them.  Cowon, Digital Cube, Reigncom, Roadtour and others you find prove either you know waaay too much or you could be on crack as you seem into every single one of these bizarre devices.  For the wacky stuff you find, you must be on crack.

Did I forget someone?  Who do you think is on crack?  Me?  Sound off in the comments.

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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