Top News

Microsoft Claiming Term “App Store” As Generic – It will be interesting to see what the decision on the AppStore trademark will be.

Will there be a Verizon iPhone 5 this summer? (And should I wait?) – if I were a Verizon user, I would certainly wait. If not, you will miss out on the next two generations of the iPhone due to the 2 year commitment.

Confirmed: iOS 4.3 to bring Wi-Fi Personal Hotspot to GSM/AT&T iPhone – This is a feature I have always wanted.

Analysts: Verizon iPhone will put brakes on US Android growth – I think Android has a lot of momentum because the iPhone was not on Verizon. Now that the iPhone is an option, how bad will Android get hit? We will find out soon.

Is Apple Building A Mobile Social Network? – Just another way for us to stay connected with our friends.

Verizon iPhone

Apple, Verizon Took Years to Clear IPhone Differences – How the deal came together over the last few months or years.

CDMA vs. GSM Examined: Which 3G Network is Superior? – Interesting write up that talks about how the networks differ between AT&T and Verizon and why Apple had to build a new phone for Verizon.

iPhone Faceoff: AT&T vs. Verizon – Curious what the difference is? This is a good write up.

Non-exclusive Apple-Verizon deal could allow iPhone on Sprint, T-Mobile – I would imagine T-Mobile would be next

Verizon iPhone has relocated buttons, might require new cases – This is lame, now we have to worry about case differences?

iPhone Apps

GoTasks is the Cure for the Common List – Simple, Free task list.

Reeder App Is Better And Faster With Latest Update – My favorite RSS reader for the iOS. If you haven’t tried this one yet, you are missing out.

Splice – Video Editor Review – Great alternative to iMovie if you are looking for something more intuitive.

I had a conversation recently with some friends about the true cost of owning a smart phone.  I decided to run some numbers to see what the total cost of ownership really is across 5 of the more popular smart phones out there such as the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, Blackberry Storm, Android G1, and Palm Pre.

Here is a summary chart of what I found while shopping online:

[singlepic id=74 630 h=166 float=center]

As you can tell the monthly cost of ownership between the iPhone and the Storm are pretty close.  The G1 is your best cost saver across the board, except for when you get into the unlimited talk, text, and data.  Once you get to that tier, the Palm Pre comes through as the cheapest.

Now some basic disclaimers.  I tried to put some carrier specific disclaimers on each chart listed below.  These prices were effective on 7/20/2009.  When listing the price for the phone, I took into account what offers the carriers had running at the time, regardless of if it was a mail in rebate or instant rebate.  The prices do not include any state or federal taxes.  Finally, all of this is based on signing your life away to a 2 year contract as a new subscriber.

Here are the rest of the charts:
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