iLounge

By Charles Starrett

Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Thursday, March 5, 2009
News Category: Mix

Verizon Wireless is running an online survey for customers who cancel service, in which they are offered iPhone-oriented answers to several questions. For both “What is the Primary Reason you chose your new carrier?” and “What is the Primary Reason you disconnected your line of service with Verizon Wireless?” one of the optional answers is “Wanted the iPhone;” the iPhone is also listed as an answer for the question “What could Verizon Wireless have offered you to keep you as a customer?”

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion has announced further details of its App Store clone. BlackBerry App World will offer apps on a tiered pricing scale, like the App Store, with paid apps priced $2.99 and up. A PayPal account will be required to purchase apps, and download applications must be stored on the phone’s internal memory, and not on a removable SD or similar card, limiting the number of apps that users of certain models can install. No launch date has yet been set for the service. [via Engadget]

During a speech at Microsoft’s CIO Summit this week, CEO Steve Ballmer was asked a difficult question regarding the iPhone. “With platforms like the Google phone and iPhone coming out, it’s really tough to continue to stand behind Windows Mobile when our employees are bringing these consumer devices into our environments,” the questioner said, asking what their commitment was to releasing more current versions of Windows Mobile. ” Ballmer replied, “We have a significant release coming this year,” adding that the company doesn’t yet include “some of the things that people want on the highest-end phones. Those will come on Windows Mobile 7 next year.” Ballmer went on to point out that more Windows Mobile devices were sold last year than iPhones.

In a lengthy interview with Vogue, Melinda Gates—wife of former Microsoft CEO and co-founder Bill Gates—admitted to lusting after Apple’s tabooed iPhone. “There are very few things that are on the banned list in our household,” Gates said. “But iPods and iPhones are two things we don’t get for our kids.” Despite the ban, Gates says she is attracted to Apple’s handset. “Every now and then I look at my friends and say, ‘Ooh, I wouldn’t mind having that iPhone.’”