T-Mobile has adjusted their mobile data plans and for the most part, it's an increase. Some of the plans are just downright confusing. After all, can consumers who have trouble enough keeping track of their minutes be able to figure out what 100 mb worth of data is?

I'm glad I kept my old plans. I pay $39.99 for 1,500 anytime minutes and $19.99 for Internet and WiFi access. That's about the best deal I think you can get on mobile these days.

From a Cnet article called is Apple scared of RIM?

Is it a coincidence that Apple's iPhone 2.2 update was released on the same day the BlackBerry Storm hit stores with a touch-screen, 3G, and enterprise-friendly functionality that rivals anything Apple has on the market? I think not.

Come on. This is just silly. First, the iPhone and RIM's market share are nowhere near close to being the same. Second, while the new iPhone features are nice, are they really going to keep Apple users from going to the Storm if they need either a BlackBerry or Verizon as a carrier.

Apple releases updates when they're ready. Sometimes timing is just coincidental. I can't imagine for a moment that Apple would have held up or rushed to market a software update because RIM was releasing a new device. Apple and RIM along with Microsoft and Nokia will continue to clash in the market and try to push into each others space but for now the Storm and iPhone are in two different places, appealing to different users.

Enough with the silly Apple conspiracies, OK?

I thought this myth was busted.

I like the TouchFlo UI that HTC has created for Windows Mobile devices like the Fuze but I also like the whole panel UI thing Sony Ericsson created with the Xperia. Wouldn't it be great if you could run the TouchFlo UI as a panel? Well, those folks over at XDA developers wondered the same thing and made it happen. If you're feeling adventurous, take a look at this thread for the how to.

Steve Jobs has often been quoted as coining the phrase, "real artists ship" as part of a motivational speech as Apple was trying to get Macintosh out the door. It's a good lesson. I've seen lots of products that were groundbreaking when I saw them and by the time they reached the shelves, they were simply passe. But there's a flip side, shipping things before they're ready. Talking with colleagues last night, there was almost universal agreement that RIM and Verizon had shipped the BlackBerry Storm too early. Everyone with a unit complained of major bugs. In one case, PC Mag was sent two units, with two different sets of firmware, each with a different set of issues. Yes, RIM has promised to fix things with a firmware update but that's not the answer.

I've tested lots of devices, from early stage units literally held together with scotch tape to final units. Yes, there's been bugs in them and that's to be expected and in general, no one reports on bugs unless it's a customer ship experience. Today, it seems too many vendors are using the customer to do the final beta test on products or are releasing products that don't seem to be feature complete (Android feels like parts are definitely not finished or not there in the G1).

It's a challenge to meet deadlines and yes, real artists do ship, but real artists also finish their work before they let it out in the world.

Update - The folks at Gizmodo make the same argument.

Todd's got a nice rundown of the new features in Apple's 2.2 firmware for the iPhone and iPod Touch on MobileAppsToday.

I'll point out a few things beyond the added Google features or the podcast downloads.

First, Apple has totally changed the way these type of updates are done. We've seen lots of updates to Windows Mobile for example and few of them have ever made it to end-user devices. It's always been the carriers that were in control of the updates, even when Microsoft and the handset vendors were willing to make them available. It's rare the a handset vendor has had this much control over updates and releases.

Second, iPhone is now a totally wireless device. If you use a service such as Exchange or Mobile Me, once you've done and initial sync of your media, there's no reason to connect it to your PC again unless you want to change your playlist (something that folks tend to do far less often. Yet, the desktop sync option is still there for those who need it. That's something the folks at Google need to understand, that while many folks can and will sync totally OTA, there's still a need for local sync at least for the forseeable future.

Don Reisinger asks if the mainstream consumer cares about DRM. I'd say they don't care very much or at all.

While many folks might prefer no DRM, most consumers will accept DRM. DRM is only an issue to consumers when it's technology they keep bumping into, if it locks them out of their content, doesn't play on the devices they care about or somehow just doesn't work. Apple's iTunes is a success because most consumers never even notice that there's DRM of any form attached to their content and that's just how it should be.

Harry McCracken does a roundup of BlackBerry Storm reviews and overall, it's no iPhone killer but it is a nice BlackBerry if you're looking for a touchscreen device.

I don't think it's fair to compare any BlackBerry with an iPhone really. They're just two different experiences and I think targeting two different demographics.

Karl Lagerfield does. After all, someone needs to look after his 100 iPod collection.

It should therefore come as little surprise that said designer employs someone to look after them, in the manner of a librarian. Your initial gig, should you choose to pursue this career course, will be to upload your boss's CD collection on to the gadgets. Thereafter, your role will be to source new beats to keep your employer at the fore of sonic cool.

There are time when i think the Zune is just like this guy. Just gets no respect. No respect at all.

Along with the news of Microsoft's 10 free songs with Zune Pass every month, there's also a lot of Zune bashing as well.

We can debate whether Microsoft should be in the hardware business at this point but the Zune is a pretty capable player at this point and easily on par with iPod Nano in terms of what it can do. Yes, the iPod has a better eco system at the moment and that's why it's the choice of most consumers but that's not to say the Zune's a bad device. Hardware to hardware it stacks up pretty well against anything out there in terms of music playback.

Now that I've been carrying it for a bit, here's a few more thoughts.

1. 800x480 screen res is amazing. It's hard to use anything with lower resolution now. I'm still amazed at how razor sharp text and graphics are.

2. Battery life is excellent. Even with 3G running and good use of network heavy applications like the Sling player, I have no problems making it through the day.

3. Panel UI works. I wasn't sure I'd like this but it's become part of my usage model. I love keeping a detailed work UI set during the day and then switch to something that's more personalized for the off hours. The ability to customize and personalize works well. I hope SE is successful getting more folks to build for the platform.

4. Windows Mobile is still, Windows Mobile. Underneath it all, it's still Windows Mobile. That's both good and bad but it's a core part of the experience.

5. SE paid attention to details. Things like a real headphone jack, automatically backlit keyboard and the slight curve of the slide separate this device from many others on the market.

6. I love devices that come with standard mini USB ports and actually charge over them (Nokia, are you listening?). Xperia does just that.

7. That great HiRes screen does break a few apps, mostly games.

8. Reception and coverage worked well for me, on both ATT and T-Mobile networks. Bonus for the phone being smart enough to recognize the SIM it's using and auto configure the device for me. No setting APN names manually any more.

9. On screen keyboard is way too small (but better than no keyboard as the G1 lacks). SE needs a larger on screen solution for times when you don't want to slide.

10. Price is still way too high. If this thing had a carrier sub behind it, it would fly off the shelves. As is, it's just going to be too costly to justify against other device.

News that Orb is now available for the iPhone as a full App store application (I'm a little surprised this got through). If you've got a Windows PC, Live TV streaming is now a real option for the iPhone.

I've used Orb since it first came out and found that while it worked, it was just too buggy for day to day use and since switched to Sling for my remote TV presentation stuff. Until there's a full Sling client, I'll have to check this out and see how well it works.

This one's getting a lot of play today.

One of the issues with the G1 was a lack of standard headphone jack for listening to music. Good news is that all new G1s will ship with an adapter to do just that. It's an OK step but doesn't solve the core problem and of course, it's one more thing that's easily lost when you're out and about.