Renthusiast2.0

Competition for new smart-phones are heating up as Wall Street heavyweights battle it out. Google, Apple and eBay (via Skype) have all launched or are set to launch new phones which will definitely transform the way we – not only do business – but the way we live.
All three companies in varying degrees have been incredibly instrumental in the transformation of our lives. Google transformed the way we do business and the way we lived by (essentially) introducing search to the internet; Apple’s biggest contribution is arguably the ipod, which has transformed the way we entertain ourselves and is transforming the music and entertainment business at incredible pace (big-up Radiohead!)
eBay and Skype have been instrumental in transforming the way we communicate with each other, by the introduction of a user-friendly VOIP system, and eBay has transformed the way we shop, making it easier to do business and make money on-line.
Now all three companies are yet about to transform our lives once again.
This coming friday, the iPhone, makes its European/UK debut although there are some restrictive issues regarding price and technology. Apparently current iPhone is only 2G; which didn’t seem to matter much in the US, but we’ve been accustomed to 3G phones for quite some time in the UK. It’s hard to imagine much broad based appeal or consumer up-take for the current iphone after the initial hype media blitz. Negative reviews are guaranteed to start trickling in about pages loading slowly; which is a big disappointment, given the iphone is such a beautiful piece of kit. Nevertheless, with all the storage space and long battery life, the phone is sure to make an impression with many people.
Next is the 3Skypephone, which offers UK consumers over 4,000 minutes of talk time and 10,000 free text messages per month. The downside of course is that these minutes and SMS are applicable to other Skype users only and “Skype-out” calls are not yet permitted of the Skypephone offered by 3. Also, it appears as though the Skypephone is not global and cannot be used in certain countries including the US. And 3 network is known to have dodgy reception in many areas in the UK outside London and other major metro areas.
Finally there’s the g (google) phone, which is supposedly set to be launched next year. Personally, I think this to be the best of the three, certainly from a consumer standpoint. Not sure about the technology behind it, and Google is supposedly going to releasing information about the phone today. But with the Google OpenSource platform , I think it’s ultimately worth the wait for this one. But either way, whatever choice you make, be prepared for a radical transformation in the way we do business , and the way we live our lives.