“It appears Google will also be dispatching the handset internationally (if you’re prepared to pay the import tax you’re likely to incur). The question is, will anyone outside the USA care?” Google’s Nexus One: will Europe care?
- I think some Swedes will probably try to get it.
Personally I think Google need to launch it for real in Europe too. Otherwise the unit will not be so interesting here.
Find more info about Google Nexus One!
Wow as time goes on I am seeing these adds every where. I can honestly say that when I first started using an Android device I never thought that it would go this far, but boy was i wrong what we have hear are two more T-Mobile MyTouch Commercials and I am loving where they are taking this platform. It is not only in the hands of the every day geek any more. This thing has really gotten into the main stream.
Problem:
Beginning android programming… everything seemed to be working… but the R.layout.main is not being recognised anymore !!
Solution:
Simply remove the ‘import android.R’ statement… and things should be back to normal.
Context:
Having the import android.R seems to refer to the default R.java provided by the android platform instead of the version for your application…. hence the main.xml being referred to is not found. Removing the import statement fixes the problem by causing the application to search for R.java locally.
…wa’Allahu A’lam !
Aside from a few missing tidbits to be determined, the full specifications of Google’s Nexus One are in plain sight on Engadget. I recommend you review the full listing, but here are the highlights, which were mostly leaked prior or shown on video:
All in all, it looks like the most powerful Android (s goog) handset yet, but for all of the early hype of this being “the” Google phone, I don’t see the anticipated disruption that was predicted with enthusiasm. Unless of course, the whole story isn’t told yet. Engadget also reports a January 5, 2010 release date by invitation only. I’m not sure what that’s all about, but again, not disruptive — annoying maybe, but not disruptive.
I’m thinking that Gizmo and Google Voice are the hole cards in this poker game — and possibly Google Talk, which works just like a phone call on the Nokia N900. Google purchased VoIP provider Gizmo last month and when I log into my Google Voice account, I can already set up a Gizmo SIP number as one of my “phones.” I’ve already added a SkypeIn number as well — it works great with Google Voice. A call to my Google Voice number rings any Skype clients on my phones or the Skype client on my PC or Mac. But Google’s investment in Gizmo tells me that Skype won’t be a primary voice solution for Android. Let me turn my own hole card with this thought — do you now see why I was so interested in getting a data-only SIM card on the T-Mobile network? I’m betting on the Google Voice, Google Talk and Gizmo integration because if it comes to pass, it could be the beginning of the end for cellular voice plans.
Telecom operator Mobistar is planning to launch a mobile applications store in Belgium by September 2010.
Mother company Orange presented such an app store for France and Great Britain earlier this month. Today, this Application Shop boosts 5000 applications, a number that should further grow next year. Access to the shop will be pre-installed on Orange and Mobistar mobile devices.
According to Thiery Gaillet, Product Manager at Orange, each country can autonomously decide which applications are offered in the store. This way, the accent can be put on certain categories. This can also be customised by device. This way an Android device will offer a different catalogue than a Blackberry device. Orange aims to offer “quality, rather than quantity”, a clear stab at the Apple App Store, which always brags with its large number of available apps.
Another difference is that mobile users can pay for their apps through their mobile subscription, without the need of their credit card or a personal registration.
Silicon Valley Android Developers Meetup Announced winners of 2009 Favorite Apps last week. (Source http://www.android-anroid.net) Here is the full list:
Winner: Pro Paint Camera by Popcrowd Software
Pro Paint Camera is a replacement for the stock Android camera app. It adds features such as: 4 filters, 2 whitebalances, autofocus, clipart, text fonts, 6 crazy photo effects & full photo editor
Popcrowd Software
http://www.popcrowd.com
http://twitter.com/popcrowd
Second Place: Geogad Tours by Geogad Inc
Explore the world with video and audio clips. Share your customized tours, and upload video tour stops from your phone.
Company: Geogad, Inc.
Web site: http://www.geogad.com
Info on Geogad’s Android app: http://www.geogad.com/geogad/android
Download link: http://market.android.com/search?q=pname:com.geogad
Twitter: @geogad
Contact: Georgi Dagnall
Third Place: ShapeWriter by Dr. Shumin Zhai
ShapeWriter is a revolutionary text and commands input method for touchscreen mobile devices. To enter text the user simply draws an approximate stroke gesture from letter to letter on a touch keyboard and lifts up to complete the word. The resulting trace is recognized as the intended word. For example a stroke approximately tracing F-U-N results in “fun”. Due to statistical pattern recognition, ShapeWriter’s intelligent algorithm is inherently error tolerant. Other close matches to the user’s gesture are presented in a suggestion bar (demo @ http://j.mp/4GzbzE).
More information can be found at http://www.shapewriter.com I’d be happy to write up more if you need.
Fourth Place: Third PlaceRxdigita by Ivan Tarasov & Siamak Ashrafi (Ash)
Rxdigita connects with Google Health to set cyclic alarms
on medications and racks when medications are taken or if medications
are repeatedly missed an emergency contact is notified.
URL: www.rxdigtia.com
Fifth Place: 8footprints by Apofa
If your life was a treasure map, what would it look like? 8 Footprints enables the modern voyager to map their life’s quest across the globe.See the trail that walks with you wherever you go during all of life’s experiences. Now your footprints can be integrated with twitter as well.
website: www.8footprints.com
download link: avaliable on android market
contact person: Nelson To
HTC tweeted this yesterday evening:
Four new widgets:
There were several negative reviews of these in the Marketplace, with reviewers reporting that “the app doesn’t run”. In fact, I had the same initial experience when, after the notification of completed installation, I tapped the “Open” button to run Battery. Then I remembered that these are WIDGETS. They cannot be launched like a regular app, and must be added to your desktop from the list of HTC Widgets. They all work very well on my Hero and have a nice polished look.
The Battery widget is perhaps the most useful; tap it and get a detailed summary of your battery’s condition. I like the way the battery bubbles when charging.
The Dice are fun. Shake your phone to throw them.
“Today in History” (requires a full page on your Hero’s desktop) is interesting and educational. I have certainly learnt a few things already. It links off to web resources for more details.
“Tip calculator” (requires a row on your desktop) does what it says on the in.
If you have a Hero or Eris, get down to your Marketplace and give these new widgets a spin.
(출처: KANDROID.org)
Whenever I read articles or hear discussions about Linux’s ability to take over the desktop market, Whitney Houston’s song “The Greatest Love of All” comes to mind (actually, I think of Arsenio Hall’s–aka The Sexual Chocolates–rendition in the movie Coming to America). Why you may ask? Because the children are the future…in so many ways, but especially for Linux.
I’m certain you’re all familiar with that old cliché, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Although this is not the case for every old dog (OD) (after all, I get my technology butt handed to me on a regular basis by some pretty old dogs), it is true for many who don’t have interests in technology. ODs like this yearn for familiarity. They don’t like change–not even from one version of MS Office to another. “Why did they move that thingy from here to over there?” “I don’t understand why they changed that. Everything was working fine until now.” “Why would I want to give up this big, shiny tower that takes up almost half of my desk for that tiny little laptop. Bigger is better, right?” All right, you get the idea. Enough geriatric bashing; I’m not getting any younger and will probably be just as stubborn and more cantankerous in my golden years.
Back to my point. To truly understand where I’m going with this, I need to redefine what I mean when I say old dog. An old dog isn’t someone who is merely old, in fact, many of them are fairly young; rather, they are people who are stuck in their ways–the ones who will sacrifice faster, more efficient, and secure technology for what is familiar because it simply works for their needs. After all, no one wants to relearn how to do the everyday typical task. I know, I know. I said in a former post that intuitiveness and qualitative measures of what is good or better is intrinsically linked to familiarity, and what is most intuitive, a lot of the time, is the one that is most familiar. This is true; however, the true measure of intuitiveness is the ability to make changes while staying familiar. How users adapt to the changes is a good measure–the quicker they adapt, the more intuitive the technology is.
Again, I digress. Back to old dogs. The problem with old dogs is that you can’t force them to change. You have to let them think that they are dictating change. That’s why it’s better to roll out changes slowly, so that the learning curve is flatter. The less painful it is, the more welcoming ODs become. But yanking the entire OS from under their feet is not a good idea. Too much change. Too steep a learning curve. But why bother? Why force ODs to change? If Deepak Chopra’s Fourth Spiritual Law, “the Law of Least Effort,” is accurate, it makes little sense to force ODs change. Too much effort. Besides, it goes against nature’s flow. Introduce new technology to them; show them how it works, and then, let them decide if they want to make the change.
But the kids! Ah yes, the kids. They are the answer. Today’s children have grown up with technology all around them. Nintendos, X-Boxes, Playstations, iPods, iPhones, and so on and so forth. At their age, they aren’t frightened of change. They are just beginning life’s journey and are eager to learn new things. These two factors combine to create the perfect storm for learning new technology. Today, children figure out new technology quickly without much trial and tribulation. I’ll give you a personal example. It took me three boot cycles to teach my 5-year-old son how to load Puppy Linux from the Grub menu, launch Firefox, find the bookmark for his favorite Spongebob game, launch the game, and how to shut everything down when he was done. Three boot cycles…that’s it. I know some adults who can’t even check their voicemail on their cell phones, or how to program the favorites button on their TV remotes after numerous attempts.
If the Linux community wants to see their market share increase, they need to go after the children. I know that sounds insidious, but believe me, exposure to Linux is safer and more beneficial than McDonald’s, Barbie, and GI Joe. Steve Jobs and his marketing team figured this out a while ago. They don’t necessarily target young children; however, they have used a concentrated marketing strategy, and have gone after young adults and teenagers with great success. Look around. How many young people do you see carrying iThings? iPods? iTouches? and iPhones? And now, rumor says that Apple will be releasing their first iTablet next spring. (Sounds suspiciously like a bigger iTouch to me.) I’m guessing it will be very intuitive and will be all the rage if the price is right. Why has Apple become so ubiquitous? Because they figured out which market required the least effort on their part.
Canonical has at least made an effort to reach the children with their Edubuntu spin. It’s a good idea, and a nice starting point; however, it needs much more development. Development in two ways. One that creates apps that are more exciting, appealing, and educational for children. And the other that creates apps for educators–e.g. gradebooks (like GradeL) and class management software. A concentrated effort like this will help get Edubuntu in more classrooms, and hence, more exposure.
There are other distros and interface tweaks that seem to be targeting a younger and more mobile crowd. Android, seems to be making some headway. And although I’m skeptical of Google’s motives, I think their influence and marketing savvy will bring Android to more and more devices. If the multi-touch tablet takes off, I’m sure the heavyweight distros will begin developing for this platform.
I once read a comment on some blog that stated that Linux needn’t worry about Windows, but instead, should set their sights on Apple. I didn’t think too much about the statement at the time; however, in retrospect, that person was right. Why worry about Windows? Linux has overtaken Windows in so many ways, that the point of which is better between the two is moot. But Apple on the other hand, is leading a revolution. They have flooded the market with sophisticated and innovative peripheral devices that aren’t in direct competition with the desktop computer. Slowly but surely, many of these device holders are more and more interested in Mac computing. The iTablet will be another stepping stone to the promise land.
Do I think Apple is on the brink of world domination? No, I don’t. But I have to say, they are surely working towards it. What does Linux have to do? Focus on the children. The more young people who are raised on Linux and Linux devices the better it will be in the long run. Build it fast, beautiful, and easy to use…and they will come.
I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way…
NYTimesのOp-Ed記事”Japan’s Obsession”を読んでふと思った。
記事では著者が東京のランニングマシンのモニタに次々と表示される食べ物の画像とそのカロリー表示を見て（過剰なテクノロジーと情報の提供であり、目的がよくわからいという位置づけ）、サイバーワールドやマンガの世界に引きこもってしまうオタクな日本の社会を書いている。
最近は日本の携帯ビジネスの孤立化を「ガラパゴス化」という言葉で表現することが多い。ガラパゴス化という言葉はうまい表現だとは思う反面、現状を美化しているようにも感じられる。孤立され、バランスがとれたガラパゴスの生態系は基本的に持続可能なシステムであり、気候変化と観光客の増加意外に系を脅かすものは少ない。
日本はどうか。商文化の違いからか、日本の携帯ビジネスは独自発展したもの、モバイルビジネスのフォーカスが急速にクラウドに向かう今、商習慣や流通の違いを超えてグローバルスタンダードが勢力地図を一気に塗り替えつつある。
自分の世界にこもり、外の世界で使い物にならないオタク化ビジネスはいずれ淘汰されてしまう。破壊的想像を促す為にも、そろそろ「ガラパゴス」ではなくもうすこし危機感がある表現を採用した方がいいのではないかと思います。
m
May-1 Waze Inc
March-1 Geogad, Inc. App Name: Geogad Tours http://www.geogad.com/geogad/android
March-2 James Kung, Asurion Mobile AddressBook
O-1 Valiantica, Snowman; falling snow, Frosty the Snowman song, backgrounds and countdown to Christ
O-2 JBH Engineering, KeyDirector, Supports Short Kbd Launchers & Transcript
O-3 Popcrowd Software, Pro Paint Camera,Replace the default camera app with 4 filters 2 whitebalanc
Well some people don’t want to pay for PDANet or BBAC with Verizon, this should solve those problems for the most part. It’s simple and straight to the point, if you don’t understand it…you SHOULDN’T be messing with your phone anyway…
Disclaimer: As ALWAYS, I am NOT responsible if you BRICK your phone. You use these tutorials knowing you MIGHT brick your phone and have a $500 paperweight =D
1. Go to Android Market and Download free ProxoID app
2. Visit Android SDK site and Install the Mac SDK.
3. Start Proxoid on your Droid. (Simple to use and remember port 8080)
4. From Terminal, Run “adb forward tcp:8080 tcp:8080″ (without the quotes)
5. Setup your browser to run from proxy on port 8080
6. Enjoy USB Tethering 
“If I have helped you, help me”
Things are moving quickly with the Java Store and Java Warehouse. A couple of weeks ago payments were enabled and a number of countries added. Yesterday, another set of enhancements was made live:
Developers are really starting to discover the Java Store now – check out some of the new applications available. My personal favorite right now is Music Explorer FX – a slick and interactive way to discover new music.
Or how about some geeky nostalgia? Check out the Commodore C64 emulator in the Java Store – complete with original font (blue on blue), BASIC interpreter, and emulated joystick and floppy. Yeah, baby!
Want to know more? Check out the new, 5 minute introductory video on the Java Warehouse and Java Store.The Java Store Beta Program has now reopened for U.S. residents – try it out here if you haven’t done so yet. Or sign up for the Java Warehouse, now open in 14 countries.
Cheers,
– Terrence
Dear Veronica… No, that won’t do.
Dearest Miss Belmont. Ack, that won’t work either.
OK, before I get started, I have some confessions to make.
I joined Twitter. I don’t recall if I’ve mentioned it on this blog before, but at one time I told myself I’d never join. So much for that. I got a Droid, and since my brother is on Twitter, I decided to join (just to follow him, of course – he posts some of his artwork there).
Well, after joining I realized that some cool people I like (celebrities) are on there, so I started following them too. People like Adam Savage, David Thorne, Al Yankovic, and yes, even Veronica Belmont now fill my Twidroid application with nonsense all day long. I follow them because they post cool stuff (I know, a lame, super general phrase that is highly subjective) and they are fun people.
About Veronica… You see, I am a nerd. Or maybe I’m a geek. I’m not really sure which one I am, but either way, I think all male nerds (and geeks as well) have to be at least a little attracted to Veronica Belmont in order to maintain their status as nerds. In fact, I’d be willing to bet a soda pop that just about any nerd out there would rather spend a day with Veronica Belmont in a turtleneck than with Shakira in that silly She Wolf outfit.
Veronica is greater than Shakira
Now that I’ve got that out of the way, here is a recent tweet from Veronica that I just had to respond to using a few more than just 140 characters:
Veronica's Tweet
You can click on the image for a full size version, or you can read my transcription:
Veronica Am I the only one uncommonly excited for the Sherlock Holmes movie? It looks like so much fun! But, is Watson really Jude Law-level hot?
No, Veronica, you are not the only one. I’ve been a Sherlock Holmes fan for quite some time, and though I am not as obsessive as to argue about which stories should be considered “canon” and which ones Sir Conan Doyle didn’t want to write, I do believe I am just as (if not more) excited as you are for the new movie. My wife, also, is super thrilled and we are hoping to make it to the theater to see it as soon as we are able (kids and money problems might delay us past the opening night, but we’ll see it alright).
Now, to answer your question about Watson. I take it this (or something like this) is the image of Watson you were expecting:
Fat, Stupid Dr. Watson
Unfortunately for Watson, that is an image perpetuated by inaccurate television shows and cartoons. Allow me to quote from sherlockholmes.wikia.com:
When Watson first returns from Afghanistan, he is “as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut.” His more normal appearance is hinted at in “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton”: “… a middle-sized, strongly built man–square jaw, thick neck, moustache …”. In The Hound of the Baskervilles he notes that he is “reckoned fleet of foot”. By 1914 (in the story “His Last Bow”), he is described as “thickset”. He is evidently not ill-favored, as Holmes several times jokes about Watson’s success with women.
Obviously, the above image is not accurate as he has a thin neck and is strongly built (not “chubbily” built). Even being “thickset” he wouldn’t be chubby. Remember he was a doctor, so he would take good care of himself and he would most definitely not be stupid:
Watson is not a stupid man (he is, after all, a medical doctor, and one whose talents Holmes holds in the highest esteem), but he does not have Holmes’ insight.
The images conjured by these descriptions are actually pretty close to a man as “hot” as Jude Law. I only hope they do not depict him as an idiot in the film. Watson was never meant to be comic relief in the Holmes stories, but the producers and writers of play and television adaptations of the short stories thought that they needed a bumbling fool to balance the serious tone of some of the stories. This was most unfortunate.
My only possible gripe with the new film is the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a wonderful actor for the part. He just doesn’t have the nose for it. The way I see it, Robert will either do a respectable job portraying a small-nosed Holmes, or he will make the character his own and make everyone forget that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ever described Holmes as having a prominent nose. I’m hoping for the latter, but I see this point as the only possible place for the film to go horribly wrong in my eyes.
Robert Downey Jr. Profile
Versus:
Sherlock Holmes Profile
We shall have to wait and see.
And, Veronica, if you’re reading this. Thank you.
Mozilla is putting the finishing touches on the first full version of Fennec, the mobile version of its popular Firefox browser set to launch by the end of the year. In order for Mozilla to catch up to its rivals in wireless, though, it’s going to have move quickly to support a variety of popular handsets. Which is why Android (s goog) phones will play a crucial role if Fennec is to close the gap on its rival mobile browsers.
Mozilla’s success on the desktop is well documented. Firefox is closing in on a 25 percent market share in the computer browser space, according to the web measurement firm Net Applications, and continues to chisel away at the dominance of Microsoft’s (s msft) Internet Explorer. But as the browser game has expanded beyond traditional computers into smartphones and other mobile devices, Firefox has largely been left behind. While Fennec is currently available in beta for Nokia (s nok) Maemo devices and in alpha for Windows Mobile, the open-source project WebKit dominates the wireless space, powering browsers for superphones such as Apple’s (s aapl) iPhone, Palm’s (s palm) Pre as well as Android-based handsets.
To be sure, there’s a lot to like about Fennec, which — in a nod to its bigger, PC-centric brother — borrows its name from a small Saharan fox. Fennec leverages the touchscreen functionality that has become a must-have feature for many mobile users, it enables users to sync with Firefox via Mozilla Weave, and it uses the same version of the Gecko layout engine used by Firefox 3.6. But the first full version of Fennec will run on Nokia’s N900, an impressive but pricey piece of hardware that targets a very small market of big-spending early adopters. Mozilla is set to release a version for Windows Mobile next year, providing access to a mere 11 additional percent of the smartphone market. A version for Android-based handsets will follow
Apple is unlikely to make Fennec available through its App Store, of course, and Mozilla hasn’t announced any plans to developer a version for RIM’s BlackBerry OS. So while Maemo’s long-term prospects may be bright, the OS isn’t likely to make much of a dint in the smartphone market anytime soon. Meanwhile, carriers and manufacturers around the world are joining the Android craze. So the sooner Mozilla can churn out a full version of Fennec for Android users, the better its chances of recreating its desktop success in mobile.
I’ve used a number of phone based GPS programs and love them. They have their pluses and minues when compared to dedicated GPS devices. The plus of a dedicated GPS device is it is single purpose. They just do their thing. They don’t interfere with playing music, are always available, don’t interfere with incoming calls etc. On the negative side they are a disconnected device. So you have the following minuses:
I’ve always liked having a GPS program to go along with my phone. It’s always with you. I’ve used a couple of different ones, TomTom, iGo to mention a few. They are all generally heavy on the device in terms of memory, processor and battery usage. I’ve always heard about CoPilot but never had the chance to play. Now on my Android G1 I managed to snag a copy. You can download the ap over the marketplace and then download the maps online or on your PC. This is a nice feature.
There are a number of GPS programs for the iPhone but I was always underwhelmed by the performance of the iPhone’s GPS so never bothered. The fact that the TomTom iPhone mount is designed to “enhance” iPhone’s GPS tells me I am not the only one that finds it lacking.
Online contentCoPilot includes the ability to download real time data like traffic, accidents etc online. A nice feature for sure. No idea how current this data is but it seems to work well. You can also download the weather but this seems like a useless add to the program.
Turn by TurnThe program includes turn by turn direction that is reasonably fast at bringing up your path, but I am not sure I can imagine how many minutes it would take to figure out a long route. The program includes voice commands to tell you when and which direction to turn but does not have any announcement of where you are turning onto (the name of the street).
Dynamic map supportThe program does not have dynamic zoom in or out or dynamic warning times based on speed. Something TomTom and iGo both have.
AudioThe program includes it’s own set of audio setting for volume and for some reason even ignores when the phone is on mute. A poor choice.
HUGE amounts of memoryThis program is a bruiser. It takes about 30MB free on your phone to install. I had to uninstall a lot of stuff to get this ap on. Once in it only takes just under 15MB from your phone’s storage. The maps are stored on the SD card and the one for North America is roughly 1G and the one for Ontario is 40MB.
Contacts/POIs etcThe program has it’s own POIs (points of interest) and you can add your own pretty easily by converting them to OV2 files. “You can download any OV2 file format add-on POI from the internet and integrate these into your device by copying the BMP and OV2 files into the \CoPilot\Save folder and launching CoPilot to integrate them.”
At this time the Android version does not support navigating to contacts, a MAJOR miss as far as I am concerned.
Navigating and then have to do somethingOne of the things you need to deal with in an all in one device (rather than a dedicated device) is that you may need to do something. Change a song, look at and email, take a call etc. On CoPilot the program literally shuts down (not suspends) lets you go do your thing and then you have to restart it. It does pick up where you left off but has to recalculate the route each and every time. Very annoying and hard on the patience.
Home and work locationsCoPilot allows you set your home and work location. Handy so you can just say go home. Strangely enough the only way to set these is to type in the address. No way to say use current GPS for that. Odd. Your current location can be added to favorites which is nice.
Live LinkIf you have other friends with Copilot on their phones you can share you location with them. Kind of a GPS MSN.
Location sharingYou can share your location with someone from within the ap, but only by SMS. Others allow you to email them. A little odd and another miss.
PhotoNavIf your pictures have Geotagging on them the program allows you to navigate to the location the picture was taken. A little bit of an odd function.
Updating CoPilotOverall this is a good program, but not a great one. There are some major misses for me as mentioned above. The hardware worked well (the G1 GPS and screen). The menus are simple to navigate and relatively self explanatory. If I would compare this to TomTom I prefer the way TomTom worked on Windows mobile. Not sure I will continue to dedicate the precious 15MB of phone space rather than use my dedicated GPS device.
Dear Supporters
We have had a lot of feedback about our gift to you and most are disappointed that there is no christmas pictures so go look below the old ones and please give feedback.
Also we love christmas wishes so please leave us all a comment and remember to save merry christmas to all the other android users
Just a few things we want to tell you just to keep you up to date and to give you a special message.
1. Our site if you haven’t noticed is set with a Christmas Theme. We have been getting great feedback on this a lot like it for its style.
Therefore great news its now our default theme.
2. Our Twitter has been all done up to give you a Christmas feel. From the background to the profile picture
right down to the colours so check it out http://www.twitter.com/FHL09
3. The most important thing is all the staff want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Stay safe and our gift to you besides the two above is a few wallpapers for your android.
Enjoy
Merry Christmas
