AllThingsD » Dive Into Mobile Feature

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of AT&T's Glenn Lurie

Kara Swisher — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:05:40 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will be publishing the full videos of the interviews we did at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all.

Here’s the last of the onstage interviews–Glenn Lurie, the man who brought the Apple iPhone to AT&T (for better and worse).

As head of the emerging devices division, he forged its exclusive relationship with Apple, which has in the last few years meant a boon to AT&T’s bottom line. About 5.2 million new iPhones were activated on its network in its most recent quarter alone, but not without hurting AT&T’s reputation for wonky service, especially in key markets like New York and San Francisco.

But its exclusive arrangement in the U.S. with Apple is expected to end when Verizon Wireless is added as a carrier in late January.

Thus, Lurie is now focused on emerging and embedded devices–tablets, netbooks, laptops and embedded computing devices.

Here’s Lurie talking about all this and more in the video of the interview with Walt Mossberg:

[ See post to watch video ]

Next up: All the demos of D: Dive Into Mobile.

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of Sprint Nextel's Dan Hesse

Kara Swisher — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:05:02 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will be publishing the full videos of the interviews we did two weeks ago at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all.

Today, Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse talks about battling the leaders for dominance among wireless carriers.

It’s not easy being No. 3, but Hesse has tried to mind the gap by beefing up Sprint’s customer service and investing in the prepaid sector to attract a wider audience during the economic downturn. Going forward, Sprint looks to its 4G strategy for growth through its ownership stake in WiMax-provider Clearwire.

Here’s the video of the Hesse interview with Walt Mossberg:

[ See post to watch video ]

Next up: Glenn Lurie, the man who brought the Apple iPhone to AT&T (for better and worse).

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Head Joe Belfiore

Kara Swisher — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 20:05:27 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will be publishing the full videos of the interviews we did two weeks ago at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all.

Today, we ring up Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore (pictured here), who is the man in charge of its Windows Phone 7 efforts.

It’s no small task, as the software giant struggles to get back into the mobile game and catch up from far behind in a very competitive smartphone race led by both Google and Apple.

Here’s the video of the Belfiore interview with Walt Mossberg:

[ See post to watch video ]

Next up: Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse on the battles for dominance among wireless carriers.

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of Hewlett-Packard Mobile Head Jon Rubinstein

Kara Swisher — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:05:23 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will be publishing the full videos of the interviews we did two weeks ago at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all.

Today, it’s former Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein (pictured here), who has moved his mobile unit over to Hewlett-Packard.

As head of the Palm global business unit, Rubinstein is leading HP’s efforts in the mobility space, responsible for webOS software development and related hardware products, including smartphones and tablets.

Despite his setbacks at Palm, which he talks about in the interview below, Rubinstein will continue to try to best Google’s Android and Apple iPhone.

Here’s the video:

[ See post to watch video ]

Next up: Google advertising bigwig Susan Wojcicki on the search giant’s mobile strategy.

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of Flipboard's Mike McCue

Kara Swisher — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:15:23 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will be publishing the full videos of the interviews we did two weeks ago at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all.

Here’s Flipboard CEO and co-founder Mike McCue, a longtime Silicon Valley entrepreneur whose latest Apple iPad app is giving publishers and readers a glimpse of what digital reading could be.

The effort is not without some controversy, as how content is being delivered on the new devices is an ongoing debate.

(Full disclosure: ATD is part of Flipboard’s new publisher beta.)

Here’s the video of the interview that the Mossberg Solution’s Katherine Boehret did with McCue:

[ See post to watch video ]

Next up: Former Palm CEO and now Hewlett-Packard mobile kingpin Jon Rubinstein.

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of Spotify's Daniel Ek

Kara Swisher — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:05:59 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will be publishing the full videos of the interviews we did last week at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all this week and next.

And today, here’s Spotify’s Daniel Ek (pictured here) singing for his supper.

Well, not in the U.S. as yet, where the Swedish CEO and co-founder of the innovative streaming music service has not been able to make good on his promise to strike deals with music labels, which fear the popularity of Spotify could cut back on sales of CDs and digital downloads.

In Europe, the popular service offers unlimited tracks for free, or users can subscribe for an advertising-free version.

Ek talks about all this and more in his interview with MediaMemo’s Peter Kafka.

Here’s the video:

[ See post to watch video ]

Next up: Flipboard’s Mike McCue (who just joined the Twitter board).

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of Foursquare's Dennis Crowley

Kara Swisher — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:05:57 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will be publishing the full videos of the interviews we did last week at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all this week and next.

Today, we check in–ha, ha, get it?–with Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley (pictured here).

The co-founder and CEO of the popular social geolocation service was actually quite up-front about a wide range of topics, from acquisition interest to Foursquare’s recent funding to an analysis of the increasing competition for the innovative mobile service.

Crowley also talked a lot about where Foursquare is heading as a business.

And he took it well when BoomTown compared his hairdo to Justin Bieber’s.

Here’s the video:

[ See post to watch video ]

Next up: Spotify’s Daniel Ek!

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of Google Android's Andy Rubin

Kara Swisher — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:10:36 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will be publishing the full videos of the interviews we did last week at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all this week and next.

Here’s the first interview on opening night with Google Android head Andy Rubin (pictured here), conducted by Walt Mossberg and me.

It’s full of new stuff, such as the fact that Android is profitable (exactly how profitable, Rubin declined to say) and that he thought Google’s ubiquity strategy for its smartphone operating system was more akin to that of Linux than Microsoft in computers.

Rubin also commented on Google’s shift from its one-time lofty declaration to change the way mobile devices are sold to its obviously now-cozy relationship with wireless carriers.

And he complimented Apple and its iPhone, Android’s main rival.

As BoomTown said, much to see, including a look at the new Nexus S and a $10,000 Android-based Motorola demo tablet.

Here’s the video:

[ See post to watch video ]

Next up: Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley!

D: Dive Into Mobile–The Full Interview Video of RIM's Mike Lazaridis

Kara Swisher — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:00:26 +0000

As promised, All Things Digital will begin publishing the full videos of the interviews we did last week at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco.

The first extension of the event, it produced some very newsy sessions. We’ll be posting them all week and next.

That includes this corker with Research in Motion’s co-CEO and co-founder Mike Lazaridis (pictured here).

In it, he did not quite answer our questions about why RIM’s flagship BlackBerry seems to have missed a step in the highly competitive smartphone wars compared to its new and more innovative rivals, Apple’s iPhone and Google Android.

While he did make a global argument, Lazaridis also seemed to be putting his big bet on the new PlayBook tablet the Canadian company is launching, as well as RIM’s reputation for security and reliability.

Here’s the full video of the interview, which Lazaridis did with Walt Mossberg and me:

[ See post to watch video ]

Up tomorrow: Google’s Android kingpin, Andy Rubin!

Getting RIM's PlayBook From Mike Lazaridis (Video)

Ina Fried — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:00:29 +0000

One of the highlights of D: Dive Into Mobile was getting a few minutes to see RIM’s forthcoming PlayBook tablet in action. However, from there, things seemed to go downhill for CEO Mike Lazaridis.

According to the overwhelming consensus of both pundits and many of those in the room, Lazaridis’s talk left people even more skeptical that RIM truly is prepared to respond to the threat posed by Android and the iPhone.

Despite the rough going on stage, Lazaridis was kind enough to talk with Mobilized for a video interview, during which he both showed off the PlayBook and again made his case for why the BlackBerry is still competitive.

Asked about a rumor that the PlayBook might run Android applications, Lazaridis appeared to splash cold water, suggesting that the focus had been on making the device really support various Web standards, such as Java, Adobe AIR, Adobe Flash, HTML5 and Javascript.

“It’s foolish to fight the Web,” Lazaridis said, noting that Adobe has three million developers for its various products. “The Web has become the platform around the world….The whole point of PlayBook is to bring the power of tablets up to the Web platform.”

As for pricing, Lazaridis would only say that the PlayBook will be “competitive,” though at the very end of the video he seems to be making the case that it might be the same price or more expensive.

“I would argue this is a lot more powerful than the iPad,” he said.

[ See post to watch video ]

Talking 4G, iPhone and More With AT&T's Glenn Lurie

Ina Fried — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:05:38 +0000

For years, AT&T’s Glenn Lurie has focused on his company’s most important product–the iPhone.

But, like the company, Lurie has broadened his view of the world, particularly as all signs point to AT&T soon having to share the iPhone with Verizon, at minimum.

In a video interview with Mobilized just after his onstage appearance at D: Dive Into Mobile, Lurie said the iPhone remains the company’s flagship, but said he is also focused on Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7. Beyond that, he said he looks forward to a day when most of the gadgets on the shelves at Best Buy have some sort of wireless connection–either directly to the cellular network or to another device that is connected.

As for the iPhone, Lurie said he expects that even if Apple were to start selling the phone through another carrier, AT&T would still be able to offer it.

“It’s a very, very important device and it will continue to be for us,” Lurie said. “If anything ever changes, I expect that relationship to continue.”

That said, Lurie went on to say that the company is focused on a broad lineup that includes the BlackBerry Torch, Android devices and Windows Phone 7 models.

Here’s the video:

[ See post to watch video ]

Exclusive: Palm Boss Talks Past, Future of WebOS

Ina Fried — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:00:44 +0000

After his onstage talk at D: Dive Into Mobile, Jon Rubinstein, head of HP’s Palm unit, sat down with Mobilized to talk more about webOS–its past, present and future.

In the interview, he talked a lot about what had changed in the five months since HP completed its purchase of Palm. A bunch of Palm workers have left, but Rubinstein noted that the unit has made more than 70 new hires and brought over more than 200 people from HP. The company has also shifted its focus to include tablets and printers and other types of mobile devices–something the underfunded standalone company wasn’t even considering doing.

“We were looking strictly at phones,” Rubinstein acknowledged, while maintaining that the webOS itself is designed to scale.

Here is an edited transcript of our conversation:

Mobilized: When you guys were a standalone company, were you focused on phones? Or were you already looking at tablets and other kinds of devices?

Rubinstein: We were looking strictly at phones. We were a small company, but when we designed webOS we designed it to be scalable. To build a great tablet experience on top of it is fairly straightforward. It is work–we’ve got to update the user interface and there are some other things we have got to do.

But the basic system is absolutely scalable to a tablet. While we weren’t working on it, that was one of the real attractions that Palm had for HP, that they could rapidly expand into a variety of different devices.

Obviously their long-term interest isn’t just in tablets and phones even?

Rubinstein: They’ve stated they are moving their printers to webOS. We’re busy working with the guys from the printer division to do that. There are other things going on within various parts of HP that are looking at using webOS or building on top of webOS.

The Labs people are doing some really exciting things. They are very excited to have webOS to build on top of.

What are some of the considerations that come in when you are going to build for a printer or a tablet that just weren’t needed when you were just a phone?

Rubinstein: Well, because webOS was a 1.0 operating system, frankly we hadn’t paid enough attention to machine dependencies. We were doing each product in its entirety. We did have to worry about another division using the code or even having more form factors than a handful at any point in time. So, one of the things we are doing right now is getting webOS to be much more machine-independent.

We were clearly very interested in enterprise, but it wasn’t on as fast a track as we are now. We already had a variety of enterprise capabilities. WebOS 2.0 has got VPN and other enterprise-class features. But we’re significantly accelerating our enterprise capabilities so we can utilize HP’s huge sales channel in the enterprise

You talked about webOS scaling. Is there any reason it couldn’t be powering a low-end notebook?

I think a netbook is fine. I don’t really want to get into the notebook business. We’ll leave that to Microsoft. The notebook business is partnering closely with Microsoft. We’re not focused on that at all. Our plan isn’t to subsume what Microsoft [does]. That’s not our goal. There is a very, very strong business on both the notebook and desktop space–and server space–that’s Windows-based and that makes sense.

With the HP acquisition you got a lot more resources, but you lost a lot of the people that built webOS.

Rubinstein: Yes and no. There’s a large group of us that built webOS. Clearly, anytime you go through a transition like this you are going to lose some people along the way. We lost some. We’ve also been hiring a lot. Since we closed the deal we have hired over 70 people. Two hundred-plus people from HP have joined us, and other divisions at HP are busy working on helping us make webOS successful. So while yes, we lost a few people along the way, we gained a lot of people.

You mentioned on stage you have a variety of products coming next year in several shapes and sizes–phones, tablets. How important will next generations be for some of those products?

Rubinstein: We’re big believers that the more bandwidth the better. I am very excited to get to LTE and HSDPA+ [two faster cellular networks]. We have some really interesting visions on where webOS can go as you get more and more bandwidth.

You were there the other night when [Qualcomm CEO] Paul [Jacobs] and I were talking. The two big issues, we think, are battery life and bandwidth.

More and more bandwidth will enable more and more things that today we cannot even imagine. And remember, we designed webOS to integrate tightly with the cloud. My personal view is that
it’s not about applications. Applications actually [will] bifurcate to where part of them runs on the device and part of them runs on the cloud.

Are you spending a lot of time thinking about how to synch the data that lives in a webOS device with all of HP’s other products?

Rubinstein: We certainly think that a unifying experience around webOS and the ability to access your cloud data across a variety of devices is absolutely crucial

A lot of data is going to be on laptops and desktops. Do you need to build a cloud device to have webOS talk to them?

Rubinstein: Stay tuned.

How do you get the developers you need to create webOS apps?

We have a lot of really interesting ways to develop for webOS. It’s very easy to develop for, and people like developing for it. We are getting a whole new generation of developers.

We had this developer conference in New York. If you look at the audience, a lot of them were under 17 and they were making enough money selling applications to come from wherever they were–they weren’t from New York–to bring one of their parents or both of their parents to come to the developer conference.

And to grow your share of the big-time application developers in mobile. Do you think it’s just a scale question, and if you guys can sell more devices you will get them?

Rubinstein: We have doubled our application base since, from sometime around the acquisition close until now

We’ve got, and it depends how you count it, 5,000 to 6,000 applications….If you look at the Android store, a lot of that is crapware. We’ve focused on delivering quality. We are going to add a lot more stuff over time as well, because obviously there’s a lot of competition about the number of apps. But at the end of the day they don’t use 300,000 apps–they use that dozen apps that are important to them. We need to make sure we have that dozen apps for a broad set of customers.

But you are not there today?

Rubinstein: We’re not there today. I would say we are well on our way. Obviously we kind of stalled for a bit going through the acquisition.

Microsoft "Happy" With Windows Phone 7 Sales

Ina Fried — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:26:46 +0000

Windows Phone 7 has been on the market for a month now, but Microsoft has steadfastly refused to give out any concrete sales numbers.

Onstage at D: Dive Into Mobile on Tuesday, Microsoft Vice President Joe Belfiore told Walt Mossberg that it was just too soon to give the numbers. (Mind you, Microsoft hasn’t had a similar problem touting figures for its equally new Kinect product.) In a backstage interview, Belfiore again declined to give specifics, but did say that the company is pleased with the phone sales figures, even if it won’t quantify them.

“We’re very happy with the rate of sales given the fact we’ve taken such a significant reset from Windows Mobile to a brand-new Windows Phone,” Belfiore told Mobilized after his onstage appearance. “We need people to get reacquainted with what we’re offering.”

In the video portion of the backstage interview, embedded below, I tried to pin Belfiore down a little further, asking whether Steve Ballmer smiles or winces when he sees the numbers.

“I think we’re all feeling pretty good,” he replied.

Belfiore also confirmed that a software update early next year (the same one that will bring copy and paste) will pave the way for Sprint and Verizon to also start selling the phone. Microsoft had to make a bunch of trade-offs in order to get the product out this year–one of which was delaying support for CDMA networks. As a result, the phone is only available in the U.S. on AT&T and T-Mobile.

“Having Windows Phone on Verizon and Sprint will be a very important thing,” Belfiore said. “There are a large number of users on those networks that like the service they are getting from their carriers.”

[ See post to watch video ]

RIM's Mike Lazaridis Talks PlayBook and More (Video)

Ina Fried — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:38:50 +0000

It’s one thing to hear about an unreleased tablet and it is quite another to see it in action. Luckily, we got both in the final session of D: Dive Into Mobile, as RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis offered a short look at the PlayBook in action.

The tablet won’t hit until early next year (Lazaridis said it is on track to come in the first quarter), but you can get a sense of it in this video, as well as hear Lazaridis talk about the challenges facing the company, its future and more.

[ See post to watch video ]

Sprint-Nextel CEO Dan Hesse Talks About Clearwire (Video)

Arik Hesseldahl — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:24:18 +0000

In an interview at D: Dive Into Mobile, Sprint-Nextel CEO Dan Hesse said that despite the fact it owns roughly 54 percent of Clearwire, Sprint doesn’t control the company or its board of directors. Walt Mossberg gave him a little grief about it, asking, “Who did that deal?”

Also during the interview: Why it made sense to have an outside company build its 4G network, what’s different between 3G and 4G and whether or not 4G is really unlimited. He also talked about why he likes Consumer Reports while other wireless executives don’t.

[ See post to watch video ]

Palm Boss Jon Rubinstein Talks About Life at HP (Video)

Peter Kafka — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:11:14 +0000

Jon Rubinstein used to run one of the biggest companies in mobile. Now he’s working for somebody else.

What’s that like? The former Palm CEO is still overseeing Palm, but he’s doing it as a Hewlett-Packard employee, following HP’s $1.2 billion acquisition of his former company in July.

Rubinstein talked to All Things D‘s Kara Swisher about the change, Palm’s chances against Apple, Google, Microsoft and Research in Motion–and whether he’s finally gotten around to using an iPhone.

[ See post to watch video ]

They Made What? Gadget Guy Greg Harper Visits Dive Into Mobile (Video)

Peter Kafka — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:56:25 +0000

Gadget freak Greg Harper (official title: President of Harpervision and co-founder of Gadgetoff) dropped by D: Dive Into Mobile to show off…gadgets, of course.

Not the stuff you’re used to seeing from the likes of Apple, Google and Microsoft, but the kind of odd products you have to look awfully hard to find. And the kind of stuff you might think very hard about before using. Or not!

This is definitely one that’s better to show, not tell, so take a look at the assorted what-the-heck-is-that stuff that Harper brings to the stage. And check out the All Things D archives for a trip down gadget memory lane.

[ See post to watch video ]

And in case you wanted to garner a few extra geek points, here is Harper’s list of gadgets, starting with the historical time line and ending up with his mobile gadgets of the moment.

1985: Motorola Dyna Tac “Gordon Gekko Phone”

1992: HP 95/LXZ Viking Express
1993: Bell South/IBM Simon ($900)

1995: Motorola Marco Radiomail ($1400)
1996: Motorola Page Writer/Star Tac ($3000)/Nokia 9000
1997: Original Blackberry
1998: Iridium Satellite Phone
1999: Nokia 7110 (Matrix Phone)/Mobile Web
2000: Samsung Uproar/Handspring Visor/Data
2001: Palm-Kyocera smart phone/ Erricson Bluetooth headset
2002: Camera phone/Tmobile sidekick/Microsoft Windows 3 Smartphone
2003: Treo 600
2004: Razr

2006: EVDO USB 720
2007: iPhone

2009: Android

Current Gadgets:

iPhone ibottleopener case

Square credit card reader

Parrot AR drone

PLX car interface

Zeal GPS heads up goggles

Zephry HxM bluetooth heart rate monitor

Verizon LTE 4G modem PanTech UML290

OverBoard Waterproof iPhone case with Waterbuoy miniature flotation device

Cellphone flask

AT&T's Glenn Lurie Addresses Dropped Calls, iPhone Exclusives and More (Video)

Tricia Duryee — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:11:39 +0000

AT&T President of Emerging Devices Glenn Lurie is focused on connecting the next flurry of devices, from the iPad to obscure medical devices, like a pill bottle that can report back whether your grandmother has taken her medication.

Not too long ago, Lurie was better known for being the go-between for AT&T and Apple leading up to the historic launch of the original iPhone.

Here are the video highlights of his interview from D: Dive Into Mobile, which centered on the most difficult questions any AT&T executive has to answer: How is it dealing with dropped calls? And what will happen to AT&T once its iPhone exclusive expires?

[ See post to watch video ]

Joe Belfiore on Microsoft and the Mobile Market (Video)

John Paczkowski — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:42:09 +0000

With the official launch of Windows Phone 7 just a few months behind him, Joe Belfiore, one of the Microsoft VPs leading the company’s smartphone effort, wasn’t too keen on discussing sales numbers at D: Dive Into Mobile today, but he had a lot to say about the legacy of Windows Mobile, Microsoft’s vision of Windows Phone 7 and the marketplace in which it now strives for traction.

[ See post to watch video ]

Flipping Through Digital Pages With Mike McCue (Video)

Ina Fried — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:19:01 +0000

Although Flipboard is Mike McCue’s latest venture, in some ways it’s old hat. After all, if you loosely define Flipboard as a browser of sorts, it’s the fourth browser he has been involved with. (Paper Software, Netscape and Tellme were his earlier forays.)

McCue downplayed concerns that Flipboard appropriates others’ content. He said he gets more requests from publishers looking to share more content than from those seeking to have Flipboard include less stuff. He said that the company is looking to make money with publishers, not ride on their backs.

He also talked about the company’s current pilot program, in which publishers can work with Flipboard to customize their publications on the iPad app. (Disclosure: All Things Digital is part of Flipboard’s new publisher beta.)

Flipboard remains an iPad-only proposition, but McCue said the company is tinkering with other platforms in the labs, such as the iPhone. They haven’t worked with Android tablets, however, because that would mean hiring a bunch of Android engineers.

Below are some video highlights, but you can get even more of what McCue said by checking out Liz Gannes’s excellent liveblog.

[ See post to watch video ]

RIM Shares a Page From Its PlayBook

Ina Fried — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:36:47 +0000

Research In Motion CEO Mike Lazaridis arrived at D: Dive Into Mobile with more than just his BlackBerry–he also showed off various features of RIM’s forthcoming PlayBook tablet, including the ability to play Adobe Air applications.

“It’s really simple to use, very fluid,” Lazaridis said, demonstrating various Adobe Air apps, a Flash-based calculator and revamped versions of the productivity applications RIM got through its acquisition of DataViz. He also showed the device’s multitasking capabilities, with 1080p video running alongside other applications.

“This is how we like to be entertained,” Lazaridis said.

As for the size, Lazaridis said it was ultramobile but doesn’t compromise in performance or display. “Seven inches is just the perfect size.”

Pressed on that point, Lazaridis did say it might not be the only size. “We’ve got different sizes potentially coming,” he said.

The PlayBook, which RIM unveiled earlier this year, is due on the market early next year. “It’s tracking first quarter,” Lazaridis said.

Lazaridis said that the QNX operating system used by the PlayBook will make it into smartphones when RIM moves those devices to multicore chips.

A liveblog of his talk can be found here.

RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, Live at Dive Into Mobile

Peter Kafka — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:22:33 +0000

UPDATE: You can now see video of the entire session.

———————————

EARLIER:

It wasn’t that long ago that Research in Motion defined smartphones: You either owned a BlackBerry, or your phone wasn’t smart.

Fast-forward to present tense, though, and it’s a different story. Depending on whom you talk to, RIM has either been passed by Apple’s iPhone, or is about to be. Google’s Android is coming up just as fast, too.

RIM is trying to fight back with new phones that look a lot like the competitions’, and by venturing away from phones altogether, with its new PlayBook tablet, too. Will that work? Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis makes his case to Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher.

Live Blog

Mike Lazaridis shows up onstage with a PlayBook.

He’s walking through various apps.

Switching quickly between HD video, different apps, via multitasking.

“This is the way we like to work… it’s as easy as just sliding between the apps that you have loaded”

“Why this size,” asks Kara

At 7 inches, “it’s just the perfect size”, says Mike.

So no plans to make it in a bigger size, asks Walt. [Pause] We have plans for different sizes, says Mike.

Mike walks through multiple platforms, languages that the tablet supports. “This is a complete mobile computing platform.”

Time to sit in the comfy chairs.

University of Waterloo seems to be responsible for most of RIM’s tech, says Mike, who is an alum. “All of this is coming together to set up BlackBerry for the next decade.”

When is this launching? “Tracking first quarter”, says Mike.

Walt asks if PlayBook system will migrate into BlackBerry.

Mike: We’ve wanted to do real mobile computing since we got into this. Have been constrained by tech limits, but … [sort of unclear what he's saying here]

Walt cuts him off: There’s a growing consensus that BlackBerry is “looking old compared to some of the other platforms.” So: If PlayBook is future of the BlackBerry, when does this OS get there?

Mike: Answers that BlackBerry OS is about multicore products. [?]

Kara Swisher is also confused.

So does the tablet become the phone?

Mike tries another tack, talking about BlackBerry in worldwide markets. In 2G markets, it’s becoming dominant. Also successful in 3G markets.

PlayBook OS allows us “jump into the next decade of mobile computing.”

Walt is confused as well.

Are you saying that you essentially stop paying as much attention to improving BlackBerry phones, and put next generation of tech into tablets?

4:37 pm: Colleague Ina Fried has a post up with more on the PlayBook over at her Mobilized blog..

Mike: “Rather than trying to be all things to all people,” we can present the best product for the market or the situation.

Mike: “Three distinct market areas. This is brand new. This is a paradigm shift.”

The three: Phones, superphones and tablets.

“But it’s not going to happen overnight. And you have to think about this as a global player,” and you can’t abandon markets that don’t have 3G or 4G, and that can’t afford high-end stuff.

“So all of this will be called BlackBerry”? Asks Walt. Yes, says Mike.

Kara: Talk about Apple and Google, please. And do you think BlackBerry lagged? What happened for you?

Mike: “We were focusing on a global market,” and as a result, BlackBerry is becoming No. 1 around the world. Strategy for the future, etc.

Mike: Apple and Android are trying to take a mobile phone OS and upgrade it for a tablet. We’re starting with a bona-fide mobile computing platform for tablets.

Kara: How do you react to all the stories burying you?

Mike: We’ve been at this a long time. Goes on to explain his history.

Walt cuts him off: Great, but “there’s a widespread tangible feeling that you’ve been left behind.”

Kara: I used to love my Blackberry, but I don’t have one anymore. “It was an abandonment of it.”

Walt: “Something has happened” over the years to “your iconic leadership.”

Kara: “Not in Sumatra,” but here, in the United States.

Mike: We’re running a business. We invented the smartphone. We decided to go global.

Walt: So did you decided to chain yourself to lowest common denominator technology?

Mike: Technical discussion of multicores. Says competitors learning how big a market there is. We built our own technology, etc.

Rattles off tech certifications. Walt: “I don’t know what those mean.”

Kara: Back to the competitive landscape, please.

Mike: Focusing on strength–enterprise and security. Military, police, etc. Reliability and security.

Walt: So why are you running all these consumer ads?

Mike: “Because the BlackBerry has crossed over!”

Walt: Here’s the problem with enterprise–plenty of professionals now want to pick their own phones, like Apple and Android.

Mike: “We didn’t go out and try to make BlackBerry a consumer device. It crossed over on its own.”

Kara: Please rank your competition.

Mike: We’re the best, of course!

“We’re all using Flash on our PCs. We’re all using Flash on our Macs. Why wouldn’t we expect Flash to run our tablet….There’s all this content out there. Why would you limit yourself?”

Walt: OK, so that’s a differentiator. But Apple is selling lots of Flash-less tablets.

Mike: “Really early days, Walt.”

Walt: Price? Mike: No answer. And when will the Playbook OS get into phones? ML: No real answer.

Mike’s summary of RIM’s position: “This is a huge market, and we have a front-row seat, and this is all our own intellectual property.”

Q&A

Can you update us on BlackBerry 6 OS in the market, and how are you doing at attracting developers?

Mike: BlackBerry 6 available on the Torch, the Bold, coming soon to Curves. “It really is the foundation of us going forward on the BlackBerry.”

Q: I own a Torch. The processor is slow, and screen is low-res. I don’t understand connection between this and the PlayBook. “I don’t really understand it….how can you deliver this phone without the best technology available today?”

“Why are you demoting my phone?”

Mike: BlackBerry Torch is a launch vehicle for BlackBerry 6. But you can make that argument in reverse… [sorry, can't follow what he's saying]. The next generation of BlackBerry will be great. “I don’t see any dichotomy here. I just see a natural evolution here.”

Q: I really don’t think my Torch is as fast and good as you say it is.

Mike: Seems to be arguing that phones limited by battery issues.

Q: Consumers say security isn’t important, until it is, right?

Mike: Right!

Enterprise clients understand how important security is. But now that consumers are using phones for things like banking, NFC, they are getting much more sensitive to security. “And BlackBerry will lead the way.”

Q: Please talk about Apple and Google getting into enterprise. “Do you feel that as a threat?”

Mike: “I see a thriving industry.” Metaphor about interstate highways and competition. “Today, we have several car manufacturers out there. We’re going to find the same thing with smartphones.”

“When you consider how large the market is today” and then realize that the market is moving into smartphones, “that’s a great recipe for business.”

Q: You bought The Astonishing Tribe. What’s the plan there?

Mike: TAT is an amazing company. Exciting ability to add 150 top designers, developers to BlackBerry as we’re “accelerating into the next century.”

Done. Thanks and good night! Drinks upstairs!

UPDATE: Here’s a highlight reel of Lazaridis’ appearance. We’ll have the entire clip in the days to come:

[ See post to watch video ]

Jawbone: You Won't Pay a Penny for Our Thoughts

Ina Fried — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:15:32 +0000

Headset maker Jawbone thinks it has found another nifty use for its electronic earwear. The company is using D: Dive Into Mobile to announce Thoughts, an iPhone app that lets road warriors dictate a quick thought that gets delivered as an audio file to whomever they like. If the recipient also has the Thoughts app, they can get messages delivered there. If not, the program can send either an email or text with a link to the recorded message, or even a computer transcription if they need one.

It’s really convenient for senders. With just a press of a button, they can dictate the equivalent of a text message and know that it will reach the person. It’s like sending a voicemail without having to listen to that annoying message or–heaven forbid–talk to someone. You can even share your thought with various groups of people.

As for the recipients, I’m not sure how they will take to an influx of “thoughts” should their friends or company really start digging the new messaging option.

In any case, Thoughts is a free download due shortly at the App Store, so it won’t cost a thing to try it out. You don’t even need a headset, though it integrates well with Jawbone’s gear and software. However, the goal of the software is to make headsets more versatile.

Plantronics is also trying to expand the device’s utility, in its case expanding from a cellphone-only headset to one that can talk to Skype and enterprise phone systems, in addition to cellphones.

[ See post to watch video ]

Live Notes

4:15 pm: Aliph/Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman takes the stage with Walt and Kara.

4:16 pm: He starts taking out the Jambox, a wireless speaker system and speakerphone in one.

4:17 pm: Aliph is offering 40 percent off the device to D: Dive attendees.

4:17 pm: They transition to the real demo.

Rahman says they are usually talking about headsets, but today they are here to talk about an app they have developed.

4:18 pm: He says we all live in a distracted life.

“People are constantly bumping into stuff now, with all the touchscreen stuff.”

4:19 pm: He says they love texts because they are asynchronous and you don’t have to get back to people immediately.

He says they love voice because it is the oldest method of communication. “It’s better for expressing emotion,” says Rahman.

4:20 pm: He opens Jawbone Thoughts on his iPhone 4.

The app is a hybrid between texting and voicemail–quickly sending a voice message to an individual or group.

4:21 pm: Rahman sends a message, and now we switch to the receiver’s phone.

The interface is slick, and avatar-driven. Feels like playing song demos in iTunes–just a snippet to get a quick idea.

4:23 pm: The app also has a text-to-speech engine for text messages.

Kara asks, “Can you control it with voice…so no tapping on the screen?”

“Soon. We are waiting on some APIs,” says Rahman.

4:25 pm: The app can also send voice messages or texts to people who don’t have the app. It just sends a text message or email.

The demo ends with a mention of version 2.0 for the app.

Here’s Aliph’s own demo video of the Thoughts app:

Spotify's Daniel Ek Explains Why the Music Business Needs Him, and You Do, Too (Video)

Peter Kafka — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:10:20 +0000

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek used to be confident that his buzzy music service would launch in the U.S. this year. That’s no longer the case, but Ek maintains that he’s going to get to the States sometime, and that people will love it when he does.

Here’s the thing, though: In Europe, where Ek has more than 10 million users, and 750,000 paying subscribers, music subscription services are a novel idea. In the U.S., they’re old hat: Ask Rhapsody. And Napster. And Rdio. And MOG. And Thumbplay, etc.

And subscription services haven’t really taken off, either: Most music listeners seem content to buy their music from Apple’s iTunes, or even brick-and-mortar stores like Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Or they don’t pay for music at all.

So what’s going to make Ek and Spotify stand out? We’ll let him make his case, in his own words, in a highlight reel of the conversation I had with him onstage at D: Dive Into Mobile.

[ See post to watch video ]

Sprint-Nextel CEO Dan Hesse: "We Couldn't Wait" to Deploy LTE

Arik Hesseldahl — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:05:41 +0000

Asked in an interview at D: Dive Into Mobile why Sprint is deploying WiMax and not LTE as its 4G technology, Sprint-Nextel CEO Dan Hesse said it was the success of the iPhone that demonstrated that the market was ready for 4G services.

“We wanted to be first, and WiMax was available” in 2008, Hesse said. “I can’t deny that LTE will be a bigger ecosystem, but we couldn’t wait. We thought the market was ready.”

Also during his talk, Dan Hesse said that during the last two quarters, Sprint has been the fastest-growing post-paid mobile brand in the U.S. and that the company’s overall subscriber numbers have been offset by losses on its older Nextel network. Hesse also said that Sprint-Nextel will begin to wind down operations of the Nextel iDen network and migrate its customers to Sprint in 2013, though not before push-to-talk features are added to Sprint. “All Gs come to an end,” he said.