Our study of iPod distraction found that selecting a song on an iPod can degrade performance almost twice as much as dialing a cell phone. Even more surprisingly, selecting a song can degrade performance twice as much as watching a video on the iPod.
– Researcher Dario Salvucci, whose work focuses on multitasking and interruption, including driver distraction
Kara Swisher in AsiaD on November 4, 2011 at 6:10 pm PT
It’s a great time to watch this interview with Andy Lees, president of Microsoft’s Windows Phone unit, since the software giant is holding a big event in New York on Monday to celebrate the U.S. launch of devices running the new Mango version of the smartphone.
Kara Swisher in News on April 19, 2011 at 6:00 am PT
Yesterday afternoon, BoomTown pumped Sonos CEO John MacFarlane full of fancy tea and queried him about today’s rollout of its new Android controller for the innovative wireless music players.
As has been previously reported, Santa Barbara, Calif. consumer electronics company will finally be launching an app for the Google mobile operating system, as well as releasing some multitasking and AirPlay updates to boost its software for Apple’s iPhone and iPad.
Ina Fried in Mobile on March 30, 2011 at 4:00 am PT
In the time since Microsoft released the first version of Windows Phone 7 last fall, Apple has managed to roll out a new version of the iPad as well as two updates to the operating system that powers the iPhone and iPad. Google has introduced both Gingerbread for Android phones and Honeycomb for Android tablets.
In that same time, Redmond has been struggling to get out just one rather modest feature update.
John Paczkowski in News on March 18, 2011 at 11:05 am PT
RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook doesn’t yet have a firm price or launch date–though new rumors suggest it may arrive at market by mid-April–but already there is developing demand for it. According to some analysts, anyway.
Ina Fried in Mobile on February 14, 2011 at 7:00 am PT
In an interview, Microsoft phone unit President Andy Lees walks through the changes that Redmond plans to make to bolster Windows Phone 7.
Improvements coming later this year include Twitter integration, a better browser and the ability to do more things at once.
News Byte
Tricia Duryee in Commerce on February 7, 2011 at 3:57 pm PT
Ahead of Apple’s iPhone launch on Verizon later this week, Sprint unveiled the
Kyocera Echo, a dual-touchscreen smartphone. The Android phone, which looks a lot like a Nintendo DS, is being positioned against tablets because of better multitasking capabilities. It allows people to watch videos on one display while browsing on another. The Echo will be available this spring for $200 with a new contract. Monthly plans start at $80 for unlimited text, talk and data.
John Paczkowski in News on February 2, 2011 at 3:50 am PT
The PlayBook’s hardware specs might beat anything on the market, its QNX OS might be rock solid and its “Web fidelity” might outshine that of the iPad, but Research in Motion’s forthcoming “professional tablet” will be poorly received when it finally ships. This according to Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair, who believes the device to be signifigantly flawed and claims it will be “dead on arrival.”
Ina Fried in Mobile on December 1, 2010 at 2:09 pm PT
Since it is bubble-bursting Wednesday here at Mobilized, let me assure you that the forthcoming update to Windows Phone 7 is neither “massive” nor an iPhone killer, despite some reports to the contrary. On the other hand, the software update, which could come as early as January, will add two things that are very important for Microsoft. First and foremost, the update will pave the way for Windows Phone 7 devices that work on Sprint and Verizon’s networks. It will also add copy and paste, an omission for which Microsoft has received no shortage of grief.
Walt Mossberg in Personal Technology on June 22, 2010 at 3:02 pm PT
Walt calls the iPhone 4 a major leap over its already-excellent predecessor, the iPhone 3GS.
