Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iPhone

In a report that is sure to bring cheer to legions of Verizon Droid owners, Strand Consult is saying that all of us who have purchased iPhones are delusional liars.

CNET's Chris Matyszczyk reported in his Technically Incorrect column that the Danish marketing consultants posted an article titled "How will psychologists describe the iPhone syndrome in the future?" Among other things, the article describes the similarity between iPhone users defending their (according to Strand) deficient smartphones and the psychological condition known as the Stockholm Syndrome. The latter has been used to describe how hostages often begin believing and defending their captors. Unswitchable Microsoft fans have also been accused of Stockholm Syndrome.

Yep, we're all delusional, and Strand Consult offers "proof" of how we've all been taken in by Apple by listing 20 deficiencies of the iPhone platform (most of which, by the way, are no longer valid). The company even goes so far as to say:

In reality the iPhone is surrounded by a multitude of people, media and companies that are happy to bend the truth to defend the product they have purchased from Apple.

Not only are we all delusional wackos, but we're also liars! Strand wittily created a name for our disease -- The iPhone Syndrome -- and is glad to share this with everyone in a free report. Of course, you have to register to get the report, which most likely puts you on a marketing email list. The following quote may provide some insight into the potential customers they're hoping to reach with this report.

if you are one of the many other phone manufacturers: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, HTC etc., you will most probably be very envious of the euphoria that Apple has invoked in their customers.

I'm glad to be part of the Crazy Ones that Apple celebrated in the Think Different ad campaign. How about you? Do you think that we're all unable to see that the Emperor has no clothes, or is this report an insult? Do we completely disregard the mobile industry's rush to imitate various elements of the iPhone, including the App Store? State your opinion in the comments.

[via CNET]

TUAWStrand Consult to iPhone users: You're delusional and a big, fat liar too originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cell Phones, Computers, Breaking News

People have, of course, been using iPhones for email reading and writing since they were launched last year -- but it's been of the individual Web account variety, typified by Google's Gmail service.

With this new advancement, expect to see more and more people using iPhones for business purposes. That's good news if you're an iPhone user and have been eager to ditch your work-supplied BlackBerry. This isn't great news if you're BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion, which until now has dominated the workplace handheld market.

The release of the iPhone 2.0 software in June will include support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide secure, over-the-air push email, contacts and calendars. The software beta will be available to users by the end of June, so companies can start integrating the application into their systems and get things started with their employees.

The software rollout doesn't mean everyone will immediately be able to use their iPhones for work. Developers will still have to set the systems up for each business and an annual fee will apply to each user who wants the service on his or her iPhone. Still, expect to see many BlackBerry's disappear from workers' belt clips this summer, as Apple continues to be the hot alternative for mobile connectivity.

To read the entire transcript from the Apple event, click here.

From Engadget.

Related links:

• 10 Reasons Your IT Department Won't Support the iPhone
• Hackers Will Go After iPhone in 2008, Says Network Security Firm
• BlackBerry Outage Blamed on Software Update Again

Corporate Email Coming to iPhone - Look Out BlackBerry! originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like crazy Britney Spears is starting to get better. We hope so. Her dad and her legal team are seriously looking at ending the conservatorship they.
Read More... [Source: Britney Spears - Google Blog Search]

An electric motorcycle that does 130 mph and looks as good as this seems an impressive enough feat in and of itself, but Mavizen has gone even further with its new TTX02 model, just unveiled at SEMA. Billed as a "laptop on wheels" it features a dedicated IP address, on-board web server, WiFi and Linux. Born of Team Agni's TTXGP race-winning electric motorcycle team, the bike is slated for a limited production of only 50 units, with a price of about $42,000 and a delivery date in early 2010, aimed at race teams who wish to compete in the upcoming eGrand-Prix series. "We are living in a click culture and connectivity is the key, across the board," notes TTXGP founder Azhar Hussain. "Our approach was to find how we could make a laptop go racing."

Filed under: Wheels, Green

Mavizen Electric Motorbike, a "Laptop on Wheels" originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Extracurriculars, Shopping

Money, it seems, just might be able to buy you a bit of happiness this holiday season. Or so says research from the University of British Columbia and Harvard University.

The good news: It doesn't matter how much you make, because you can spend as little as $5 to get happy. But there's a catch: In order for your money to make you happy, you've got to spend it on others. Not yourself. Sounds like the perfect reason to pick up a little "extra something" for a loved one or co-worker.

What's the link?
The connection between your wallet and your happiness isn't as complex as you might think. "We found that while it might make you happy 'in the moment,' despite popular belief, spending money on big ticket items like new cars, jewelry or on vacations doesn't contribute to sustained happiness," says lead researcher, University of British Columbia assistant professor Elizabeth Dunn, PhD. And, using a year-end or holiday bonus to pay off bills isn't the path to happiness either.

Continue reading Maybe money can buy happiness after all

Maybe money can buy happiness after all originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that the exploding men and unrelenting rain of crates have been taken care of, it would seem a new issue has arisen in Modern Warfare 2. Specifically, a bug in the Xbox Live matchmaking assignments is reportedly dumping playlist searchers into private matches. (Nothing's worse than being teamed with the lowest ranking players, after all.)

Penny Arcade's Gabe tweeted (warning: foul language through link) that he had encountered the issue several times. Meanwhile, Infinity Ward's man in the trenches, Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling, confirmed the issue is known and that a fix is currently in the works.

[Via Gaming Union]

Source - cwgabriel [Twitter] (NSFW)
Source - Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling [Twitter]

Modern Warfare 2 players report matchmaking malfunction originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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National Ledger

Pink Speaks Out on Britney Spears Lip-Synching Saga in Women's Health National Ledger Pink has jumped into the Britney Spears lip-synching saga by saying she would never go to a concert where the performer wasn't singing ...

Read More... [Source: Britney Spears - Google News]