Windows Phone seems nice. I picked one up and messed with it at an AT&T store. It genuinely seemed unique, full featured, and fun. But while Microsoft creates the operating system on the phone, it doesn’t control it. Your carrier does. And they’re not interested in allowing you to upgrading your phone. They’re interested in getting you to buy your next phone.

An example: Paul Thurrott’s article about this very issue.

So I can’t break with Apple’s iPhone for a shiny new Windows Phone.

Sorry, Microsoft…

If Apple could pull off this design, I’d upgrade before I was entitled to a full subsidy.

The chances of the next iPhone looking like this are slim. My guess is that the designer, Antonio De Rosa, is looking to replace Jonathan Ive at Apple. Fat chance! But the design is attractive, nonetheless. The edge LED glows with selectable colors. The device is impossibly thin. And it’s just plain beautiful!

See additional images at RedmondPie.com.

Also notice that De Rosa calls the device simply “The New iPhone.” No mention of iteration branding like all other iPhones (3, 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4S). This crossed my mind when Apple announced their new iPad, eschewing the “3″ that most analysts expected. I agree with dispensing of iteration branding, and I wonder if Apple will call the next iPhone simply “iPhone.”

We’ll probably have to wait until the autumn to find out.

A while back, NetZero made a splash by offering ad-based dial-up Internet service to users for free. They’re still doing that, but today they’ve rolled out a compelling new service: 4G wireless for free (up to 12 months) and paid plans starting at less than $10 per month without contracts.

They offer a 4G Stick (USB) for $49 and a Hotspot for $99. Again, no contracts involved.

NetZero is leveraging Clearwire’s WiMax network, so you’ll need to use their devices in a city with service.

Learn more at the NetZero Web site.

FULL DISCLOSURE: A representative from Visible Market Inc. requested that I consider a review for the iOS app, StockTouch. I accepted, and they covered the cost of the app.

StockTouch brings a unique and engaging way to visualize and analyze stock data. Its interface is smooth and professional, and the way you interact with it is natural and intuitive. Even the subtle sounds add to the experience without being distracting. And it’s just darn pretty!

The app couldn’t be easier to use. Tap into a sector or stock and pinch out of it.

There are 3 levels: Market, Sector, and Stock. Market shows (count ‘em) 900 stocks segmented into 9 sectors. Tap one of them, and you’re transported to that sector and presented with the top 100 stocks. Tap an individual stock, and you’re transported to that stock’s report that includes company description, stock performance data, and links to related financial news.

On the right edge of the screen are several settings that allow you to customize your data visualization. You can change the timeframe, display by price change or volume, arrange by market cap or activity, along with several other settings. Tweaking these settings offers a great range of permutations, and it demonstrates the real power of StockTouch. The app also offers a unique spiral arrangement with the largest stocks in the center and spiraling out to the smallest ones.

The tiles are color-coded to give you a visual impression of stock performance. Bright green tiles show the winners. Black shows flat performers. Red tiles show the losers (or investment opportunities, perhaps?). You can specify favorite stocks and those tiles will stand out prominently so you can find them quickly in Market and Sector views.

StockTouch is a universal app, meaning it will run on all iDevices. It works well on the iPhone and iPod touch displays, but it really shines on the iPad.

On the iPad, StockTouch uses the screen real estate without overloading the eye. At the Market level, the stocks are small but readable. Drill down to the Stock level and the information is visually balanced and easy to understand.

On the iPhone, the app compacts and presents the data neatly. The only real sacrifice is that I couldn’t read any of the 900 stocks on the Market level screen even with the retina display of the iPhone 4S. Here, the Sector labels (complete with aggregate price change) save the iPhone. Down in the Stock level, you can swipe left and right to view the detailed charts and news.

Using StockTouch does not require creating an account, so you’re off and running right after you install the app. The only drawback is that your favorites won’t carry over to other iDevices.

Of course nothing is perfect, but the only thing I can complain about is that StockTouch doesn’t include commodities markets. I’d love to analyze energy (crude and refined gasoline) and agriculture (corn) in this interface.

Overall, StockTouch is a fun even if you’re not a Wall Street Whiz. The goal of the Visible Market team appears to have been to organize and present a very large amount of complex data in a way that makes it all quickly understandable. And they succeeded. StockTouch is the epitome of data visualization.

Television commercials and quotes from Samsung executives make it clear that the Korean product developer and manufacturer is going after Apple and its popular iPhone.

Younghee Lee, Samsung marketing executive, said “Especially in US, people are obsessed with Apple … It’s time to change people’s attention.”

While the agressive attitude and humorous commercials are memorable, they’re not likely to achieve Samsung’s objective to surpass the iPhone and be seen as cool.

Apple appears to effortlessly craft its product image, but it does so by demonstrating how it fits into your life. Samsung simply shows its customers using the phone and making iPhone users jealous. That’s funny, but is it effective?

The iPhone’s minimalist and elegant physical design is matched by its software and apps. Samsung’s devices either look like older iPhones or any number of Motorola, HTC, and LG devices. And Samsung’s use of Android makes in impossible to promise identical user experiences over time, because the mobile operating system is frequently updated but carriers do not have to upgrade customers’ handsets.

So a campaign that pokes fun at the market leader might be funny, but the Samsung alternative is not made to look more attractive in a meaningful way. Samsung also is not cultivating a branded experience. The company is simply touting that Samsung phones are different, and categorizing Apple customers as lemmings.

Full disclosure: I am an Apple iPhone 4S user at the time of this writing. However, I don’t feel I’m an Apple lemming. And I think my next phone will be a Windows Phone 8 device. Probably made by Nokia. But who knows…

Paul Thurrott penned a passage about the dire prospects for T-Mobile now that the government and consumer advocate groups so skillfully “saved” T-Mobile. Since I couldn’t write it any better myself, here is Mr. Thurrott’s quote:

Congratulations, Now T-Mobile Is Screwed

With the AT&T/T-Mobile link-up permanently scuttled by US antitrust regulators, privacy and consumer advocates have popped open the champagne bottles and declared victory. But I’m unclear why they’re celebrating, unless they’re on Verizon Wireless’ payroll. Because from what I can tell, T-Mobile is screwed thanks to this action, and the United States might soon have only three major wireless carriers as a result. Lost amid all the back-slapping is the fact that T-Mobile owner Deutsche Telekom literally has no Plan B for the wireless carrier, hasn’t invested in the slightest in next-generation wireless networks and has no plans to do so, and still wants to dump the carrier at the first possible opportunity. T-Mobile doesn’t make money and is hemorrhaging subscribers—two things AT&T could have turned around rather nicely. So congratulation, guys! You really won that round. I can’t wait to hear what your plan is now. Oh right, it involves drinking champagne and then moving on to the next faux outrage against humanity. Idiots.

This says it all:

Apple is stealing the version of Siri that works on my iPhone. It will stop working on October 15.

Thanks, Uncle Tim…

Apple will hold a media event on Oct 4 at 10 AM PDT. And the graphic on the invitation cleverly shows that. It also shows the phone icon with a number badge. That number badge has a “1″ in it.

Could that indicate one iPhone is going to be announced?

A commenter on my previous post suggested that iPhone 4S would be announced with quick availability followed a little later by the redesigned iPhone 5.

That’s certainly a credible possibility. We’ll all know more in a week.

The BizGeek Crystal Ball tells me there won’t be a redesigned iPhone 5 released in October 2011.

We would have seen the rumor blogs show evidence of iPhone 5 parts by now. All we’ve seen is clear evidence of an updated iPhone 4. Perhaps Apple with call the thing an iPhone 4S or 4+ or something else entirely.

I predict the focus of Apple’s rumored-Oct 4 announcement will be on iOS 5 and iCloud. The iPhone 4S will be introduced with a faster processor (the A5) and perhaps a better camera (8 megapixels). I think it will maintain the same 3.5-inch display for now. The iPhone 4 will replace the 3GS as the entry-level Apple smartphone. Further, that iPhone 4 will have a plastic back panel replacing the glass one it had when it was the top-rung offering. It will probably keep its 5 megapixel camera, but it might get an upgrade.

Unless the rumor mill is being influenced masterfully by Apple. But I don’t think the Cupertino company could squelch an iPhone 5 part or two from being exposed by now or prevent reputable analysts from seeing evidence of large-volume part orders.

But you never know…

Until Apple makes its announcement.

Growing up, Dino Soldo was one of my very best friends. He always had class. Even as a kid.