Two words: American Express.

The double your warranty from Amex saved my butt on the original iPhone (I had one go out on me after 18 months and I promptly received a credit for the replacement cost).

I buy Apple Care for my Macbooks and iMacs but it doesn't make sense for the iPad which is not subsidized and costs the same if you have to buy another in one year or two.

64GB 3G/WiFi. Since I have tons of media, I never regret over-buying. I have regretted under-buying before though.

Mainstream success seems inversely proportional to the degree of vitriol a new gadget brings up from the spec-obsessed (and easily bored) digerati.

Judging by which, the iPad and the new TiVo's stand to be quite successful.

The Tom Tom iPhone FAQ page says that updates will be free to existing users. The verbiage on the iTunes store is likely letting potential new customers know that they don't have to wait to buy.

"TomTom will release several updates to its TomTom for iPhone application this year. These new versions of the application will systematically embed an updated safety camera database (for those markets for which safety cameras are already included) as well as some important additional features. These upgrades will be made available free of charge for existing users of the TomTom for iPhone application. More details on the next free upgrade will be communicated soon via our iTunes product page and on iphone.tomtom.com"

@Mr Blue

You are correct. Android is definitely aimed at geeks. But you can't sustain this many phones from this many manufacturers on a demographic of geeks alone. Google needs the mainstream user.

I've thought this was going to be a problem from day one when Google announced Android will be open source and manufacturers and carriers will be free to change anything they like. Its a great idea in theory. The reality is so often a giant confusing mess. If Google doesn't watch it Android could become so fragmented that the name will cease to mean much of anything.

And I don;t have much faith in Google's ability to manage this either. They are not exactly known for their follow thru abilities. So much of what they introduce makes them look like a bunch of ADD rich kids who tinker with projects for a while, get bored and then move onto something else... never really finishing what they started.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart nor do I have any love for the company, but I actually think this might be a good thing for streaming services and consumers.

Lets face it, even with the recent foray on LG TV's and blu-ray players, Vudu was still not doing that great. Few people knew about them and while their quality was fantastic, their selection (and bizarre 20 dollar at a time payment scheme) was not so hot. Netflix was leaving them and all the other streaming services in the dust. Without somebody big to back them they would have eventually been pushed out the door by total Netflix domination.

With Wal-Mart's name recognition and buying muscle behind Vudu, they may just be able to get the exposure and selection they need to be a real competitor to Netflix.

@mburstin

I agree. I've already waited 4-5 months to see a movie. I can easily wait another month. We already have to wait another month for most digital rentals. So what if physical rentals gets moved into that window? By making more and cheaper movies available to Netflix and Redbox at a later date the studios are feeding sleeping monsters. Eventually it will be Netflix and Redbox who call the shots and not the studios and all of this windowing nonsense will get turned upside down.

People just aren't buying every DVD/blu-ray in which they have only the slightest interest anymore. They are being much more choosy with what they buy. Pushing rentals back a month is not going to change that fact.

@mike996

You do have to wonder whether anybody beyond the carriers actually cares about Blackberry's efficient use of bandwidth. Enterprise buyers don't care (they care about security and standards). Consumers don't care (they care about apps). So what's the point?

This iPhone user thinks Windows Phone 7 looks really impressive. I'd actually consider it (along with WebOS) as an alternative to what I'm currently using.

I do wonder about all the big text running off the screen. It looks cool and works great on the Zune HD. But that's because Microsoft is in complete control of the experience (and the verbiage is simple and short). What happens when 3rd party apps are displayed this way? I guess we'll see.

Until I can watch 720p Netflix streams on my TV and not have it look like half inch square digital bugs are crawling over my screen, I don't hold a lot of hope for streaming 1080p content. Do 720p right then move onto 1080p guys. Otherwise the specs will sound impressive on paper but the reality will be block city. And I have 18-12 Mbps cable so its not the speed.

Surround sound will be nice though.