Sung News

$100 Credit to the Apple Store

After the 8GB iPhone price was dropped from $599 to $399 just two months from the product launch, the return rate on the iPhone started to increase dramatically. Even Nokia went ahead and stuck it to early iPhone adopters and Apple with the Google Adwords ad below.

Nokia sticks it to Apple

Immediately, Apple annouced that if you bought an iPhone within the last 14 days you can receive the $200 difference. Well, you are allowed to return it and buy a new one for the new price. There might be a restocking fee. Some say they were able to get away with it even though it had been a month since they bought it.

Yesterday, Steve Jobs announced that you would receive a $100 credit for the Apple store for anyone with an iPhone. It’s an unprecedented move in the personal electronics market, especially from Apple. Personally, I think that the $200 should be an early adopter’s tax. I know this is a good thing for consumers but I’ve paid a lot of early adopter’s tax in the past and I’m bitter about it. Grrr.

Sung News

The Upcoming Google Phone/GPhone

GPhone ConceptsHere is a post about the upcoming GPhone or Google Phone. There has been many “leaks” from Google employees that there will definitely be a Google Phone before the year is over, maybe as soon as next month. If it does come out, I think it’ll have a bigger impact on the mobile market than the iPhone. I’ve written about it before about all the features it will have.

It will supposedly run linux, which means open source, which means apps can be written for it in the future if it doesn’t come with the phone in the first place. The iPhone does not have this feature. There are only web apps for it. I don’t understand why they made a big deal about running OS X but not allow third-party applications.

I’m thinking something like a music player. Maybe the Google music player isn’t that great, someone might write an app that emulates iTunes and its coverflow. Of course it’ll be taken down by Apple for copyright infringement, but early adopters would still have it.

The post that I linked talks a lot about the built-in camera. He would like to see image stabilization support. Not many camera phones have image stabilization built-in and blurriness is a major problem with pictures taken with phones. I personally don’t think a camera is an issue. I would go without it if it’ll make the phone smaller, lighter and cheaper. Standalone cameras are becoming so small that it’s not cumbersome carrying a phone and a camera around. I would much rather have one device dedicated to doing one thing really well than one device that does them mediocral.

From the early rumors I’ve heard, the price was around $250 USD. If that’s the case, I think it prices itself like the Wii against the PS3, which in this case is the iPhone. I’m really pulling for the Google Phone on this one to prove to everyone that the iPhone is an overpriced, overhyped fossil tied down by its deal with one of the worst telecoms on Earth.

Sung News

Tempo Trash Can

Tempo External Storage

Tempo is a conceptual design of an external hard drive that also serves to protect users from accidentally deleting files. It lights up red when something has been deleted. This looks pretty cool but I don’t know how they’ll fit a 250 GB hard drive into that shape and size.

Sung News

Awesome DAP (Digital Audio Player)

Awesome DAP

This looks like just a concept but a designer named Yong-Seong Kim designed this DAP that unfolds to play CDs and MP3 CDs. It looks cool but not very functional as you can’t just put it in your pocket or backpack when playing a CD. What it would be good for is if you go someplace to sit down and there’s CDs around like a library. Although it would be weird to just listen to a CD at the library without taking it home and ripping it to your computer.