Digital Zone 211: iPhone HD Drama Continues

Posted by Patrick Wiscombe on June 8, 2010 under Digital Zone Podcasts | Be the First to Comment

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In this edition of the Digital Zone, we talked about:

• AT&T stops unlimited data plan
• Let the iPhone HD search begin
• Nokia rechargeable phones
• Foxconn employees getting a raise
• The best CEO in America

AT&T is stopping new customers from signing up for its unlimited Internet data plan for smart phones and iPads and will start charging more for users who hog the most bandwidth. Current subscribers will be able to keep their $30-per-month unlimited plans, even if they renew their contracts. However, new customers will have to choose one of two new data plans for all smart phones, including iPhones and BlackBerrys. One of the new AT&T plans will cost $25 per month and offer two gigabytes of data per month, which AT&T says will be enough for 98 percent of its smart phone customers. Additional gigabytes will cost $10 each. A second plan will cost $15 per month for 200 megabytes of data, which AT&T says is enough for 65 percent of its smart phone customers. If they go over, they’ll pay another $15 for 200 more megabytes. A gigabyte is enough for hundreds of e-mails and Web pages, but it’s quickly eaten up by Internet video and videoconferencing. The 200 megabytes offered under the $15 plan is enough for more than 1,000 e-mails, hundreds of Web pages and about 20 minutes of streaming video, AT&T says. The limits will apply only on AT&T’s cellular networks. Data usage over Wi-Fi networks, including AT&T’s public Wi-Fi “hot spots,” will not count toward the limits. AT&T says they’ll let customers track their usage online and the iPhone also has a built-in usage tracking tool. Plus, AT&T will also text subscribers to let them know they’re getting close to their limits. For the iPad, the new $25-per-month plan will replace the $30 unlimited plan. iPad owners can keep the old unlimited plan as long as they keep paying $30 per month.

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A San Mateo court has ordered the go-ahead for a search of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen’s computers. The court is specifically said to have appointed a “special master” for the task, who will be limited to collecting details related to Gizmodo’s $5,000 purchase of an iPhone prototype. The “special master” is an unpaid agent, typically a former judge or law professor acting as a volunteer. To keep the data’s use in check, the results of the search will first be sent to a judge, and then to Chen and his lawyers so they can make any objections. Only after the judge rules on the objections will the district attorney be given access to a whittled-down set of search findings. The process could take up to two months. The results could be critical in the case because Steve Jobs is saying the phone may have been stolen out of the engineer’s bag, rather than simply found. Investigators considered journalistic shield laws before raiding Chen’s home and a search of the editor’s computers was initially held off for this reason. An agreement with Chen’s attorney Thomas Nolan was reached about how the computers could be searched.

Foxconn announced it is raising the pay of its workers by 30 percent. The basic salary at Foxconn’s China plants is $130 per month. Foxconn had been considering a 20% raising pay for months to cope with a labor shortage. Ten workers have killed themselves and three have attempted suicide at Foxconn’s operations in southern China this year, involving workers who jumped from buildings. Foxconn is the world’s largest contract maker of electronics and build products for Apple, Sony, Dell, Nokia, and HP. Foxconn has been under the microscope because of the suicides and the company said promised to work harder to prevent more deaths. As one of the measures, safety nets were being installed on buildings and more counselors were being hired. The company said all employees were being divided into 50-member groups, whose members would watch for signs of emotional trouble within their group.

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Nokia launched four low-priced handsets and a recharger that can be connected to a bicycle’s dynamo which charges when the wheels turn. The bicycle charger kit and handsets — some with a standby battery time of up to six weeks, FM radio and flashlights — are aimed at users with limited access to electricity. The new devices will be available during the second half of the year and will cost between $36 – $55. The bike kit has a charger, dynamo and a holder to secure the phone to the bicycle. The dynamo — a small electrical generator — uses the movement of the wheels to charge the handset through a standard 2mm charging jack used in most Nokia handsets. It stops charging at speeds 3 mph and higher than 30 mph. Nokia, last year, sold 432 million handsets.

Rupert Murdoch called Steve Jobs the best CEO in America and predicted iPad would sell 10 million units this year. Apple announced they’ve sold two million units in less than two months. Murdoch said he expected to gain at least an additional 1.1 million paying subscribers to The Wall Street Journal he owns. Murdoch said 10,000 people are reading the newspaper on their iPads. Another 100,000 people who already buy the Journal and have it delivered at home are also using the iPad to read it. In comparison, a spokesperson for The New York Times said last week that its iPad application — entirely free of charge for now — has been used by 300,000 people.

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PODCAST SPONSOR: The Digital Zone is sponsored by Network Solutions.

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