Samsung introduces ChatON Instant Message Service

Samsung is getting into the market that Apple, the maker of the iPhone, RIM, the maker of the BlackBerry, and Facebook are already in. Samsung, the maker of many popular mobile phones, "smart" and otherwise, introduced it's ChatON instant messaging service.

The ChatON service will allow users to send short messages to each other for free, including texts, photos, contacts, and calendar. The service will be available at first on Samsung devices running their "semi-smart" mobile operating system, called Bada.

A Samsung
device running Bada.

The service will later come as an app on Android and iOS devices. While the users of the Bada version will get the basic capabilities mentioned above, the users of the Android and iOS app will get some more advanced features, such as commenting on their friends profile pages, create special "animation messages", and keep track of how often they instant message.

Ho Soo Lee, Head of Media Solution Center at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement, "With ChatON, Samsung has vastly simplified mobile communication by allowing users to connect to our upcoming feature phones and all major smartphones in the market. Users around the world can now enjoy easier and richer interactivity with whoever they want, in the format they want."

While the ChatON service seems like a pretty good idea, like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, Samsung is competing with some pretty big contenders. RIM's BlackBerry Messenger was recently revamped to become more "social", Apple has a similar service coming out soon on all iOS devices, called iMessage, and of course Facebook, with more than 750 million users, recently launched it's Facebook Messenger app for iOS, so Samsung's app will have to be pretty good to compete.

Samsung's ChatON service will make it's official debut later this week at Berlin's IFA Conference, and will be available in over 120 countries with 62 languages.

So, the ChatON service has a lot to compete with, but it's one of the only services available on more than one platform, with it's Bada, iOS, and Android apps. Overall, it seems like a great service, and I wish it luck in succeeding in the large world of IM services.

More information available in the below video.

Fusion Garage's Latest Creation (Update)

Fusion Garage is a company founded in 2008 with a vision to revolutionize mobile computing. At first, the company's idea was to use the browser as an operating system, similar to Google's Chrome OS. The difference between Fusion Garage's idea and Chrome OS. Is that Fusion Garage wanted to implement their idea on a tablet computer. They did.

The JooJoo tablet was created, a $499 tablet that ran an OS similar to a browser. All the apps you one were merely websites, and, although there are some extremely powerful and productive web apps, it just wasn't enough to keep Fusion Garage's JooJoo tab afloat.

The Grid 10 Tablet

As JooJoo died off, Fusion Garage was quietly planning something else. Something they thought would be big.
Something they call Grid.

The company recently introduced the Grid brand of products. The two devices that are currently up on their  website, the Grid 10 tablet and the Grid 4 phone, run Fusion Garage's new, Android based operating system, GridOS. GridOS is an individual operating system built on top of Android that provides a completely different user interface.

Although there is not much info about GridOS on the Fusion Garage website. The folks over at Engadget got a sneak peek preview, and we got to see a little more about the operating system. Firstly, the UI is very much based on the clean, simple grid-based style. It's a style that looks nothing like Apple's iOS or Google's Android. However, it does very slightly resemble the clean and simple look of Windows Phone 7. Also, the operating system comes with an emulator that allows it to run Android apps, although you'll have to download the apps from somewhere besides for the Android Market, as GridOS does not support.

The Grid 10 tablet device is available for pre-order now, but, at $499 for the 16GB WiFi only version, it's not cheap. However, you will get some great features such as data sync between any Grid devices, as well as the Grid desktop app for your desktop or laptop computer. The 10 inch tablet sports a sleek design, a high resolution display, and a front facing camera.

The Grid 4 Smartphone

The Grid 4 smartphone, not yet available to order, also will run Grid OS, and, like the tablet, sports a sleek and attractive design. The 4 inch phone has a 800 x 430 resolution, as well as a front and rear facing cameras. It will go for $399 unlocked. Carriers will be announced closer to the fourth quarter release date.

Overall, these two devices are sleek and simple, and, running an OS that is also sleek and simple, they may have a chance in the tablet and smartphone market. The problem with any tablet is the lack of apps, and, although Grid will have a native app store later this year, the fact that Android apps are supported is a great advantage.


(UPDATE: FusionGarage has lowered the price of the Grid10 by $200, making the entry-level version only $299)

Google to Buy Motorola Mobility

Motorola is known by many for it's numerous advancements in the technology of the cellular phone. For one thing, it was the creator of the first cell phone ever made. That two pound "brick" didn't last too long, and now, after Motorola created some of the most popular Android phones, Google feels the need to buy them.

In a press release put out earlier today, Google said that they were going to buy Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. for $40 a share, adding up to about $12.5 billion. $12.5 billion is quite a lot of money, however, Google does have some really deep pockets.

The deal will be made official at an announcement later today.

Now that the facts have been said, one would have to think about the reasoning that Google would want to make such a purchase.

Larry Page, Google's CEO, said the following about the purchase:

      "Motorola Mobility's total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers."

From Page's statement, it seems that this deal has something to do with the people working at Motorola, as well as the partnership that Google and Motorola already have.

From the press conference, it doesn't seem like Android will see many changes because of this buy. Also, Google says they will continue to run Motorola as a separate business. 

So, although it seems the end user won't be too affected by this, we really won't know for a while. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. And hope for the best.

Read the full press release here.

Apple TV, Entertainment made Simple

When looking for a device that hooks up to your TV that streams movies and other content to the big screen, there are quite a few choices. These devices are called set-top boxes, and there are at least 10 well know and popular devices, with prices ranging from $55 to $299.

So if you're looking for a good set-top box, one that combines a pretty good price with a slick interface and great content selection, Apple thinks they have the device for you.

The Apple TV is a $99 device that allows you to stream content directly from the Internet. Unlike some of the other options, the Apple TV has no built in storage, so, while you can connect via a network to iTunes on your computer and stream content from there, everything else is just streaming it directly from the "cloud".

The Apple TV can access and stream movies and TV shows from the iTunes store. However, there is no way to purchase movies, only to rent them. An update out today allows users to buy TV shows directly, and stream them on demand from wherever they are. Users can also access and listen to or watch free podcasts, as well as access Apple's "Radio" feature.

Besides for Apple's own iTunes content, users can access content from Netflix, YouTube, and with this latest update, Vimeo. Netflix, which we have mentioned in the past, allows instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows, for a price that, at $7.99 a month, is probably cheaper than consuming all of your content via iTunes. YouTube and Vimeo, however, are free to use, and deliver a seemingly never-ending flow of great (and not so great) content.

And, if you aren't already watching way too much stuff, you can also watch every MLB or NBA game live with a subscription to MLB.tv or NBA.com League Pass Broadband. Both of these services are a little pricey, and you might run into blackout restrictions if the game you are trying to watch is available on "real TV" in your area.

Apple TV's Small Size

But of course, there's more. Connecting your Apple TV to your computer running iTunes over WiFi will allow you to stream your entire music collection through your home theater setup. Pictures from your computer can also be viewed on your big screen TV.

To top it all off, the Apple TV can stream content playing on any iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch). To stream this content on the big screen, all you have to do is tap the "AirPlay" button, and, after initial setup, the content will suddenly be playing on the big screen.

At $99, and a 3.9 inch square size, the Apple TV seems like a great buy, and the recent update that adds Vimeo and TV show purchasing definitely makes it even more compelling. If you're in the market for a set-top box, and you have 100 bucks to spare, the Apple TV is a great choice for you.