2009: The Year Of The Smartphone

This is the beginning of the end folks. Smartphones have been around for sometime but it seems like the iPhone lead the way into the main stream audience and now the smartphone industry has exploded. Back in 2007 Apple introduced the iPhone which captured the attention of the general public for the first time. So why is 2009 the year of the smartphone? Lets take a look at what is different today compared to years prior.

In 2007 we went into the holiday season with an iPhone for $299.99 and $399.99. If you recall that year the iPhone had neither a 3G signal nor apps. The Razr was still king of sales in the United States but the iPhone was received well. Along with AT&T’s pretty expensive data plans the smartphone universe was still just a figment of the mass markets imagination.

2008 comes along. In 2008 we saw the introduction of phones like the Instinct and the LG Dare but none of these phones had the impact nor the usability the iPhone brought to the table. All of 2008 basically belonged to Apple. Then in July Apple introduced the iPhone with a 3G radio for $199.99. This is where a spark was struck and it was time for smartphone makers to get serious if they were to compete with Apple. In October the first real competitor was born. Android, Google announced the G1 and in October the phone launched with quite a bit of enthusiasm. The iPhone was still locked to AT&T, no users lusting for a smartphone wanted the LG Dare or the Samsung Instinct, so the somewhat feature lacking G1 was the next best thing. It’s launch was a bit stunted by the United States smallest main stream carrier but the G1 took and Android was something that seemed promising. Still going through the holiday season of 2008 we had the iPhone 3G for $199.99 and the first Android phone for $179.99. Just when it seemed like Apple had completely removed everyone else from the game Palm had a little surprise hidden up their sleeve.

2009, the year of the smartphone. Now things are starting to get serious. Palm at CES 2009 announced their first iPhone competitor, the Palm Pre, and it held a lot of promise. So with no official release date from Palm, Google stepped up it’s game. In early 2009 the price of the G1 dropped and the MyTouch 3G was launched along with the release of Android 1.5. Though still slightly crippled by T-Mobile, the Android devices held their own. In mid may Palm announced the Pre release date and the phone had a heavy emphasis on the open source community and its seemless multitasking. The launch went as well as Palm could have expected, however the Pre was launched on a carrier that was bleeding subscribers for some time. The Pre brings promise and is expected to launch on Verizon in early 2010. There were some Blackberry launches later in the year which include the Bold 2 and the Blackberry Storm 2, but neither phone really has users excited because the OS has little to no change. Then HTC  put out their first fully customized version of Android showing just what is possible.

HTC changed the game for Android showing off what Android OS had potential to become. They added their Sense UI which allows for more robust widgets, more home screens, some UI changes throughout, and multitouch. The Hero launched on Sprint here in the United States. It was a quiet launch compared to the iPhone, the G1, and the Pre, but it was a notable launch.  There were some initial bugs when it came to sluggishness in the UI but a carrier firmware release quickly fixed these issues. The Hero to date was the most promising Android device in town. Outside of the Hero, Android was still on the rise.

Palm had their come back and now it was Motorola’s turn. Motorola then collapsing because the Razr just wasn’t doing it for people anymore and they hadn’t launched a phone that people were excited about in a long time. The rumors were flying that Motorola had something Android under their hat. Finally they announced the Motorola Cliq which showed some promise but also a bit of let down when the specifications seemed to be the same specs of the G1, the MyTouch, and the HTC Hero which is the ARM 11 clocked at 588 Mhz. At this point we had the Pre and the iPhone 3GS with the next Generation ARM Cortex A8 processors with the powerVR Chipsets, so the same old Android processor was beginning to look a little ancient. The Cliq also was going to be launched on T-Mobile which is starting to seem a bit Android crowded at the moment but either way it doesn’t hurt Google to have more Android on the market. Then Motorola blows up the blogosphere with their new Verizon device called the ‘Motorola Droid’ powered by Google’s brand new Android 2.0. This was the first mainstream smartphone on Verizon that people were really excited about. The first Blackberry Storm launch was big but slowly faded as people grew annoyed with the Surepress technology and bugginess of the phone.

There were few small launches here and there which includes the Samsung Behold 2, which has Android and samsungs Cube UI known as Touchwiz, The Droid Eris which is Verizon’s version of the HTC Hero, and the Samsung Moment on Sprint. Early in October Windows Mobile launched 6 devices on multiple carriers with their new iteration of Windows Mobile now dubbed, ‘Windows Phone’, which has Windows Mobile OS version 6.5. Not enough changes in this OS to get people excited. The HD2 looks promising but won’t be in the U.S. until sometime in early 2010. That brings us to now.

This holiday season things are different. Smartphones still have a small market share but the offerings are so good and so affordable it is hard to imagine peoeple who will actually be signing a new 2 year agreement for a feature phone. Let’s take a look at some of the offerings. In 2007 we had the iPhone for $299.99. In 2008 we had the iPhone 3G and the G1 at $199.99 and $179.99. These phones were only on AT&T and T-Mobile. In 2009 we have smartphones on every large carrier in the U.S.  Sprint is offering the HTC Hero for $99.99, Samsung Moment for $199.99, Palm Pixi for $99.99, Palm Pre for $149.99,  Touch Pro 2 for $349.99, and a range of Blackberries from $49.99 to $199.99. On T-Mobile you have the G1 for $129.99, the MyTouch for $149.99, the Motorola Cliq for $199.99, and the Samsung Behold 2 for $229.99. T-Mobile also has a handful of blackberry handsets ranging from $99.99 to $199.99. On AT&T you have the iPhone 3G for $99.99, 3GS for $199.99, Windows Phone for $199.99, and the many variations of the Blackberry ranging the same prices as Sprint and T-Mobile. On Verizon you have the Blackberry Storm 2 for $199.99, the Droid Eris for $99.99, the Motorola Droid for $199.99, another variation of the Windows Phone for $199.99, and the LG Chocolate Touch for $149.99.

The options available today are tremendous and the prices are constantly dropping. Sprint and T-Mobile have set some new low prices on data plans making it even more affordable month to month to own a smartphone.  So that begs the question. What is stopping you from purchasing a smartphone this year? Will smartphones outsell feature phones this holiday season? Feature phones are still selling well because with a feature phone you don’t need to pay for a data plan and so many of them are free, however during the holidays phones are gifts. Is there really anyone hoping to get a free feature phone for Christmas this year? We are starting to think this may be the first holiday season in history where phones called ‘Smart’ will out sell your old feature phones.

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

Seven days that were Never Odd Or Even

It’s been a brilliant week for Never Odd Or Even, our best ever in fact. If this last week was a person, I’d be on one knee proposing to it. I can scarely believe how we got away with it.

Rewind to last Saturday, and our Ask The Hoff app received nationwide coverage in The Telegraph’s magazine supplement. This gave the app’s sales and profile a much needed boost; sales increased five-fold and the app reach number 16 in the UK’s Lifestyle category.

Bolstered by this increase in visibility, we hit the social media jungle drums again and spread the good news through Twitter and Facebook. A BBC employee saw the news and passed it on to the Scott Mills show at BBC Radio 1, which has led to Ask The Hoff enjoying national radio coverage for the past three days. As a result the app has jumped to number two in the Lifestyle category and is currently the 45th most popular paid app in the UK. Unbelievable.

It’s not just Ask The Hoff that’s enjoyed publicity this week. On Thursday, our collaboration with award winning travel writer Donald Strachan, Instant Florence, received national exposure in The Times. Admittedly, Donald wrote the piece but that’s the benefit of working with a freelance travel writer! Instant Florence has also become a top 20 travel app in Ireland, which is brilliant to see.

On top of all of this, one other exciting announcement – we’re working with a local developer to bring Ask The Hoff to the Android platform, for what will be our first Android app. We can also reveal we’re due to start work on a second celebrity app next week, due to be submitted to Apple early next year.

Words barely describe how made up we are about all of this – wild gesticulation of the hands helps considerably. We can’t wait to get stuck into the challenges of 2010 and see what happens net.

[Via http://neverodd.wordpress.com]

Guides and Ideas for Current/Upcoming SmartPhones

Amazingly enough, Wired, which usually is poorly written (in my humble opinion), has a fantastic new article on guide for looking into Smartphones (Boy Genius Report was close but theirs doesnt talk about the carriers and plans at all). With everyone writing about phones, phones taking over Times Square, $3 mill iPhones and that, phones are apparently the hip thing this year (pssst if you live in Nashville and want Sprint email me). Anyway, point being with all the damn clutter and multiple operating systems, it is nice to have summaries, reviews and what not. Wired’s was impressive enough that I felt it deserved a nod.

FYI, i do work at Sprint now, and I do think the Droid logo on Times Square looks too much like Lord of the Rings.

Also, random note, but I get extremely irritable of people touting the Android has a shitty camera and shitty music player. Don’t get me wrong, it DOES, but that is what an App store is for. Anyone with Android just search music and see what i mean, there’s like 5 upgraded players (i recommend TuneWiki) on the damn thing.

So what’re my recommendations?

Smartphones:Basically, if you are looking for multi-media, internet browsing and email/calander sync, and have google, i recommend Android (Palm is also cool if you are on Sprint). If you need hardcore business email, exchange support Blackberry is still fantastic (although WinMo 6.5 is at least getting updates). Note that Android does support Microsoft Exchange, but honestly if you want the safe, secure thing Blackberry is still the best bet.

Verizon: Moto Droid, Blackberry Tour if you need heavy exchange/business use.

Sprint: HTC Hero or Moment (I finally got to try out a moment, fairly impressive). Palm Pixi for first time smartphone users. Blackberry Tour for Business users.

AT&T- iPhone. Blackberry Bold 2 looks nice so far.

T-Mobile: Anything but a Sidekick. MyTouch 3G is still sweet and Cyanogen makes it even better.

And once you get a smartphone the key is customizing it, and making sure it does what you want it to. I should have postings throughout this blog for tethering and adding nice tidbits for iPhone, Android, Palm WebOS and Blackberry, so feel free to browse, I’ll try and add links and updates here in a day or two, this was just a quick rant in a sleepless night.

[Via http://somegenius.wordpress.com]

ListView and ListActivity Demo

This is a slightly modified version at apiDemo. It demonstrates how you select multiple items on a ListView and display the results on a TextView.

main.xml layout (Note that the ListView has “choiceMode” set as “multipleChoice” and that the ListView has an id of “@android:id/list”):

android:orientation=”vertical”

android:layout_width=”fill_parent”

android:layout_height=”fill_parent”

>


android:layout_width=”fill_parent”

android:layout_height=”wrap_content”

android:text=” “

android:id=”@+id/selection”

/>


android:id=”@android:id/list”

android:choiceMode=”multipleChoice”

android:layout_width=”fill_parent”

android:layout_height=”wrap_content”/>

Main java class:

package com.mh.android.test;

import android.app.ListActivity;

import android.os.Bundle;

import android.util.SparseBooleanArray;

import android.view.View;

import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;

import android.widget.ListView;

import android.widget.TextView;

public class ListAdapterTest extends ListActivity {

String[] items= {“lorem”, “ipsum”, “dolor”, “sit”, “amet”,

“consectetuer”, “adipiscing”, “elit”, “morbi”, “vel”,

“ligula”, “vitae”, “arcu”, “aliquet”, “mollis”,

“etiam”, “vel”, “erat”, “placerat”, “ante”,

“porttitor”, “sodales”, “pellentesque”, “augue”, “purus”};

TextView selection;

@Override

public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {

super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

setContentView(R.layout.main);

setListAdapter(new ArrayAdapter(this,

android.R.layout.simple_list_item_multiple_choice,

items));

selection = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.selection);

}

@Override

protected void onListItemClick(ListView parent, View v, int position, long id) {

// Clear the TextView before we assign the new content.

selection.setText(” “);

// get array of booleans for which positions are selected in the items.

SparseBooleanArray chosen = parent.getCheckedItemPositions();

for(int i=0; i
// if the item is selected by the user, we display it on the TextView.

if(chosen.get(i)) {

selection.append(items[i]+” “);

}

}

}

}

[Via http://maohao.wordpress.com]

Smartphone Wars: Droid Has Arrived

The title of this article reflects what the banner ads proclaim. In the sense that "arrived" means the Droid is available, yes, definitely, they are available. In the sense that "arrived" means the Droid is coming into its own? Perhaps … if you can tell a Droid from an Android from a Chrome. The interesting thing about Droid is that it is the first smartphone to wear the "iPhone Killer" moniker, and it might have a shot. The Blackberry Storm has done well, but iPhone and Apple remain unvanquished. The Palm Pre was a fizzle and tried to glom onto the iPhone’s charm by syncing with iTunes. That battle rages back and forth on the field of software updates between Apple and Palm, but the iPhone has already won.

Droid, as you are probably aware, is simply one piece of hardware put out by Verizon that is running Google’s Android OS, an open-source mobile operating system. So, Droid runs Android just like other phones out there, but it also has competitive features. It even has some features that are better than the iPhone, like turn-by-turn voice directions and a camera flash. These are important, since parity, in this game, does not a winner make.

Mike Elgan makes a very well-reasoned analysis, however, that shows Android phones are behind on brand appeal and purchase-decision simplicity – two of the three factors that he believes decide success in the smartphone business.

But wait there’s more! Google is also working on the “gPhone,” a Google-branded phone that may share similarities to Android but will be its own Google-branded experience. Phones running Android will compete with the gPhone. Now how is your brand appeal? And purchase-decision simplicity? Out the window, clearly.

If that wrinkle is not enough, Google co-founder Sergey Brin is now saying that Chrome OS (a cloud-based thin computer OS) and Android OS will eventually merge into one, according to Brit tech site Electricpig.co.uk.

Confused yet? Me too. It’s a shame Google didn’t just use its exceedingly-recognizable brand for everything. If the platform (whatever it’s called) is solid, and the features are available, Google’s mobile tech will play a huge role in the future of smart phones.

Here are the current global standings, by market share, as of Q3 2009 (according to a Gartner study):

1. Symbian: 44.6%
2. RIM (BlackBerry): 20.8%
3. Apple iPhone: 17.1%
4. Windows Mobile: 7.9%
5. Android: 3.5%

My prediction? In one year’s time the iPhone and Android will be engaged in a battle for third globally, and second fiddle to Blackberry in the United States.

[Via http://lunchpail.knotice.com]

IPhone and Android OS's continue keeping most US market traffic

The October Mobile Metrics report has been released few days ago, and… guess what ? yes IPhone and Android continue keeping the 75% of the US web traffic for smart phones.

IPhone is on top with a 55% and android has the second place with a 20%. Windows mobile has only a 4% of the traffic in US.

For further statistics you can go to AdMob Mobile Metrics.

Instead if you preferer to download the whole report in pdf you can find it right here : PDF Report

Cristian.

[Via http://cristianramon.wordpress.com]

Kehebatan Android: Android Market

Setelah mencoba Android Phone beberapa minggu, bagi yang seneng otak-atik gadget… tiada hari tanpa hal baru di Android, ada aja yang bisa diotak-atik dan salah satu contohnya adalah menjelajah Android Market.

Android Market adalah sebuah pasar digital yang berisi ribuan program/software baik yang gratisan maupun berbayar. Mulai dari program ringan untuk lucu-lucuan sampe program serius bisa ditemukan disini.

Seperti gambar diatas, Android Market terdiri dari 3 bagian utama yaitu:

• Apps: Berisi program-program mulai dari yang ringan sampe serius
• Games: Berisi games-games menarik untuk mengusir kebosanan disaat santai
• Downloads: Berisi daftar program yang udah didownload ke sistem android

Apps dan Games terdiri dari beberapa kategori utama untuk memudahkan dalam mencari program sesuai kebutuhan. Setelah diklik kategori yang diinginkan, maka akan muncul daftar program beserta ratingnya.

Semakin banyak bintangnya (rate) maka semakin bagus pula kualitas program tersebut. Tapi ada juga program bagus tapi ratenya gak seberapa banyak, biasanya program tersebut masih baru dan belum populer jadi belum banyak yang mencoba.

Seperti yang terlihat gambar diatas, bagian Download berisi daftar program-program yang pernah kita download ke android phone kita. Asyiknya lagi, setiap kali program tersebut di-update oleh developer-nya maka akan muncul informasi ‘Update available’ untuk versi terbaru.

So… program yang dipakai selalu versi yang terbaru! Dengan semakin seringnya update tersebut maka semakin bagus pula kualitasnya karena selalu ada perbaikan dan penambahan fitur.

Kamu pengen mencari program berdasarkan keyword tertentu ??? klik aja tombol pencari dengan simbol kaca pembesar dan ketikkan keyword-nya.

Contoh diatas, aku mengetikkan keyword ‘GPS’ hasilnya banyak sekali program-program gratisan yang berhubungan dengan GPS, tinggal pilih aja mana yang cocok… kalo gak suka, hapus aja cari yang lain… beres!! hehehe…

[Via http://syamsyah.wordpress.com]

Gmail & What You Think

This is part 7, an interlude in the short story of personal exploration and development by one new to the daily employment of Gmail, long resisted, long desired, and eventually brought to conversion by an Android.

For before I lay out my thoughts on what Google should consider putting on their ‘Should Do’ list, I thought I would share some of the great off-blog thoughts and advice from others who have been or may some day be converted to Gmail — more than a few with whom I agree.

What Other’s See

Posted by Antoine Bonnin

There is so much to do, I’m not sure where to start .

Easy ones could be to allow folder creation (instead of labels) and an option to sort emails in your inbox (by dates, name, etc).

It would also be great to use Ajax instead of refreshing the page when opening an email, the email content would appear as others slide down (tough one to explain without an image).

Posted by Ilana Schwartz

Top 3 wish list for gmail:

1. Preview pane

2. Tabs for inbox, email in progress, other folders. 

3. Sort by (as mentioned)

Posted by Ilana Schwartz

Some are required, by law, to save information and folders seems to be easier conceptually. It does mirror how info is saved to an os.

I could do without folders, but I think that Gmail lacks convenience without preview pane and a variety of sorting methods.

But maybe I’m taking too small a view – I’m quite interested in these fundamental changes you would make…?

Posted by Eric Sunderhaus

Further mirror functionality in Outlook that users have come to rely on.

Such as..

1. Allow screen capture function similar to Outlook.

"Window Key" + "Print Screen"

"Control + V"

2. Allow users to easily change default email in operating system from Outlook to Gmail so that when applications trigger an email message they don’t immediately open Outlook; but rather Gmail.

Posted by Antoine Bonnin

I agree with llana, preview pane would be a nice feature, so you can easily go through each emails without getting lost in the confusing "email UI".

The "search" is so not user-friendly, you can tell Gmail was created by engineers for engineers

Posted by Luca Candela

I think Gmail is ripe for a serious overhaul… most of the features and settings aren’t easily findable, the legibility of pretty much all text is poor, the interface doesn’t make very good use of big screens…

In general I see a lot of space for improvement, although I’m a fanatic of the service.

Posted by Roberto Champney

Luca, has a point. Gmail’s has some serious usability problems. I can’t ever remember where things are and even to create a new message it is hard to find the function (even though it is right there in front of you; but some genius managed to make it almost invisible). I use it as backup and for its calendar sharing feature, that’s about it.

I like the thread approach, but things can get scary after a few threads are going on. Also the lack of a "drag ‘n drop" capability makes it more a hassle than good all outlook (try attaching 5 files and you get my point)…

good luck…

Posted by David Garrett

I think step 1 should be more from a business requirements standpoint than a user experience solution. In other words, they need to accommodate all the services that Hotmail and others provide, such as calendar tools but, at the same time, include some of their own unique tools and link tightly with Maps, YouTube, etc. and seriously consider how those services can play into the evolution of gmail.

Posted by Luca Candela

Matt, I STRONGLY disagree with you. Gmail doesn’t need to be beautiful but needs to get better at being usable. Right now it’s downright distracting. Live mail is way better at letting you know instantly what is what and what’s the purpose of everything.

"If they do it that way there’s a good reason for it" it’s the kind of mentality that keeps progress from doing its job. I grew up in a small town surrounded by farmland, and it’s the kind of rationale old farmers would come up with when they had no better way of arguing against some improvement or change in old ways of doing something.

Gmail is an awesome product that was put together by people worried about a few things but definitely not about making it easy to use. It would take very little to make it a better product and I for one wouldn’t miss the old interface AT ALL.

In fact, you can check some interesting experiments in skinning with the style plugin for firefox, if you can’t find it just let me know and I’ll give you the links.

Posted by Vera Lugovskaya

SORTING

The absence of sorting was a big issue for me. I needed to be able to sort by Sender. After a while I found "Filter". It kinda solved my problem but column sorting would improve usability a lot.

PRINT

Another detail which was bothering me was "Print All" when I needed to print one message from a thread. It seems recently they added "Print" to message features which prints one message though I still feel that "Print All" should be a second choice in the Message window.

LABELS VS. FOLDERS

I agree that labels are limited. Besides they have "Tree" widget in their GWT library. I wonder I they don’t use it in GMail.

Posted by Matt Gist

Gmail should keep pegging away as is. People should get used to the fact that something like a web-based email client should be highly-customizable and ever changing.

Gmail might not be beautiful, but it wouldn’t be designed the way it is without exhausted research and data to support why it is design the way it is.

If people need acclimating, then the best thing would be tutorials and such.

Posted by Bob Stoneburner

Actually what Google is doing is probally the best strategy. Provide Android as an open source platform with multiple communication options in a single client, (email, online presence, schedualing, video conferencing, SMS, ect). Get traditional Microsoft OEMS to build smart phones on your mobile platform. Ultimately cost and level of integration in the cloud (with mobile being a primary access point) will drive adoption of which email system users select.

The Next

First converted to a fan of Android, the platform, then converted to a fan of Gmail, too. I resisted the Android, and succumbed. I, for much longer, both longed for and resisted the conversion to Gmail. Through all of this, despite the long path already journeyed, there remain many more steps to walk, specific steps that those overseers of Gmail can take to further enlighten the experience of ones as of now converted as well as those yet to be. But, that, my friends, that part of this short story, I will save for next week.

Subscribe now (click here) to make sure you don’t miss any part of this series exploring the eventual adoption of Gmail in one’s daily life, by one once thoroughly addicted to, dependent on, the primarily client-based solution of Microsoft’s Outlook,

what brought about this conversion, (1) (2)

why it took so long, and (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

what should be done to encourage greater Gmail adoption. (8)

Enjoy & Tweet!

Jeremy Horn 

The Product Guy

Add to Social Bookmarks:

[Via http://tpgblog.com]

Spotify announces Symbian app

Spotify has expanded its mobile reach with a launch onto the Symbian platform – a potentially huge new audience spanning around half of the global smartphone market.

As well as a large range of Nokia handsets, the app will also run on a selection of Sony Ericsson and Samsung smartphones running the Symbian platform, such as the Samsung GT-I8910 Omnia HD and Sony Ericsson Satio.

To get Spotify’s Symbian application, users can either download it directly to their phones by visiting m.spotify.com through their mobile web browser, or by entering their phone number on the new Symbian information page to receive instructions via an SMS.

As with the other iPhone and Android Spotify offerings, the Symbian app is only available to those who are Premium, i.e., paid-up members of the service.

[Via http://technotrip.wordpress.com]

Barnes & Noble Ruins Nerd Christmas [EReaders]

 

Nobody has any idea if the Nook is actually any good yet, but no matter: It’s the perfect holiday gift, in theory! Or at least it was, until Barnes & Noble ran out of them.

Granted, it’s a little worrisome that Barnes & Noble is taking preorders before letting reviewers have their say, so maybe this enforced waiting period is a good thing. At any rate, it’ll be January—well after we’ll have run B&N’s Android-powered ereader through its paces—before anyone else will be able to get one. [B&N via Bits]

Barnes & Noble Ruins Nerd Christmas [EReaders]
John Herrman
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:41:52 GMT

Technorati Tags: eReader,Barnes & Noble,Nook,Gizmodo

Naked Capitalism on Apple v. Google

Naked Capitalism has a good post up on Apple v. “the Android menace.” I understand these posts tend to provoke flame wars, but the comments are also worth scrolling through. They’ve got a high-end readership over there, evidently.

Anyway, an excerpt from the post:

To my eyes, this is looking like a repeat of the Macintosh-PC Wars of the 1990s which Apple lost. On the one side, you have Apple, competing at the high end and very concerned about platform integrity and control, and preventing other manufacturers from building its hardware. On the other side, you have another operating system designed for the lower end and installed on a host of manufacturer systems – which may or may not cause serious platform integrity problems down the line.  Who wins that battle?

I have no idea. Part of me is very interested in this topic. Part of me wonders, “in the end, who really gives a shit?” It’s just electronics. Before I had an iPod, I had a Sony portable CD player that I thought was pretty cool.

On the other hand, I still remember how, back in 2002, the iPod put a whole new shine on both music (shuffle!) and e-commerce. I remember marveling to a work colleague about how easy iTunes was. You just found something you wanted and clicked on it. Done.

Who knows. One day all this stuff will be nanotechnologically implanted, which reminds me of a Jimi tune.

But it’s all in your mind
Don’t think your time on bad things
Just float your little mind around
Look out ! Ow!

Fring Now Works on Android, Does Skype VoIP Calls

Fring, the mobile messaging and social communication tool that works on many smartphone platforms, is now available on the Android (s goog) platform. Users of Android phones can get the client software from the Android Market or from Fring’s WAP site.

Fring for Android works over 3G, GPRS or Wi-Fi connections. According to the company’s blog announcement:

“Android device users can now get onto fring (we know you’ve been missing us since some of you recently switched to Android devices) with (the first) free VoIP calls over Skype, MSN and GoogleTalk and via hundreds of SIP providers. As always you can see real-time presence and live chat with your ICQ, Yahoo! And AIM buddies too. You can also use Twitter there, as part of  your integrated contact list.”

The “we know you’ve been missing us” snippet in the announcement belongs there, as competitive applications such as Nimbuzz have already been available for Android for some time. Still, free VoIP calls over Skype with Fring will probably be pretty attractive to many users of Android phones, and Fring offers a number of options for keeping up with Twitter.

The Droid

Verizon has finally gotten what could a be a viable iPhone replacement.  A phone running the latest version of Google’s Andorid OS and a growing supply of applitions.

I haven’t got my hands on one yet, but I’ve read a few reviews that state it stands up quite well in head to head comparisons with the iPhone.  The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that the iPhone has a much deeper pool of applications available.  Not suprising, but I expect the number of Android apps to grow quickly.

Verizon is also pushing its much wider 3G coverage heavily, but it’s still not a GSM network.  That topic has been discussed here, and I’m sure it will again, but I’m still a fan of GSM networks.  It is my opinion that Verizon is going to have to bite that bullet sooner or later.

The Droid phone and its OS have another advantage, open source.  The iPhone is locked down tight by Apple.  It controls your apps, what they can do, and how much data you can transfer over the cell phone network.  An Android based phone, with a SIM slot, is much more flexible.

Netbook za jedyne 240 złoty

Jesteście zdziwieni tą cena? Ja byłem bardzo. Tym bardziej, ze w rzeczywistości wynosi ona jeszcze mniej. Słaby jestem z matmy więc żeby nie głowić się na ułamkami postanowiłem zaokrąglić kurs dolara do 3 PLNów. A sam netbook kosztuje 80 dolarów amerykańskich (nie mylić z kanadyjskimi). Pewnie zastanawiacie się co za firma upadła na głowę i sprzedaję takie tanie netbooki. Otóż jest to chińska firma Menq, a ten tani model to Menq EasyPC E790. Oczywiście w tym przypadku wraz ze spadkiem ceny spadła specyfikacja komputera. Ma on 7 cali i system operacyjny to Windows CE a podobno rusza na tym nawet Android. Zresztą zobaczcie filmik z fanem tej maszyny w roli główne.

Apple App Store: The beginning of the end

Just came across a very interesting article on the net that talks about Apple driving developers away from its App Store. Huh!!! Is that possible? After all Apple and it’s iPhone/iPod are supposed to be the best thing that has ever happened to the world. The truth is actually quite different my friends.

At one point the iPhone was probably the best platform for mobile applications. But the situation is quite different now. RIM’s Blackberry, Google’s Android and Palm’s WebOS have all changed the dynamics of the game. Consumers and mobile app developers have a lot of choice now. All the operating systems are quite capable and worthy and some of them are actually easier to develop for. For example if you want to develop for the Android or the Palm Web OS all you need is the SDK and a computer running Windows, Linux or Mac OS. But if you want to develop for the iPhone you need to have an Apple Mac computer. Ridiculous!!! What were they thinking? By constraining the development environment you are already alienating some of the developers.

The thing that takes the cake is Apple’s policies for applications that can be hosted on the App Store. In fact there is a clear lack of a consistent policy and every application, and by extension the developer, is at the mercy of the whims of an Apple employee. So if the Apple person reviewing your application on a particular day had a harrowing time tackling brutal traffic, or just learnt that his/her partner is cheating on him, then you could be doomed. Your application would be rejected for some seemingly vague reasons. And I am not pulling something out of thin air here, this has happened….on multiple occasions….and continues to happen even today. So here’s the million dollar question:

Who the f&*^ is Apple to decide what I can run on my iPhone/iPod ?

In some of my previous posts I had talked about how Apple might be losing developers if it does not get it’s act together. Here are a few of them:

• Apple iPhone will lose to Google Android powered T-Mobile G1
• 22 steps through iPhone development hell
• Arrogant Apple good for Google

In fact Apple has started losing developers. Check out this article. Most of the fanboys would be quick to dismiss this as a one off case of disgruntled developers. Probably true now but how long would this take to snowball into something bigger? More importantly can Apple afford to take a hit to their reputation? Google Android and the Web OS have opened up development to all and their store policies are more lenient towards developers. So what does Apple have to gain? The iPhone on Verizon seems to be a distant dream specially with the Motorola Droid faring quite well. Looks like it might pretty much be all downhill from here for the iPhone.

Verizon vs. AT&T: iBash too far?

Interesting story which has been gathering traction over the last week:
‘AT&T has reportedly asked a federal court to make Verizon immediately stop airing a new series of ads comparing AT&T’s 3G coverage map to Verizon’s. Among them is an ad in which the iPhone is welcomed to the Island of Misfit Toys.

AT&T has asked a federal court in Atlanta to force Verizon Wireless to pull a series of ads immediately, according to reporting from USA Today. Verizon responded by standing by its ads. “What we are saying doesn’t change,” spokesperson Jim Gerace told the paper.’

Verizon have been waging a dirty ad war, attacking AT&T’s 3G network coverage and criticising the iPhone’s technological limitations (rather than its sleek design). In turn, they have promoted their own 3G network coverage and Android device: unlike the iPhone, it has a physical keyboard; a flash camera; can run several applications at once; and can be customized with widgets.

More concerning for AT&T is the fact that YouGov’s BrandIndex data suggests that Verizon’s campaign is working.

กูเกิลเท 750 ล.ปูทางโฆษณาบนมือถือ

กูเกิล (Google) ประกาศเทเงิน 750 ล้านเหรียญสหรัฐ ซื้อบริษัทเครือข่ายโฆษณาบนโทรศัพท์มือถือรายใหญ่ในสหรัฐฯ นามแอดม็อบ (AdMob) แม้ทุกฝ่ายจะเชื่อว่าวงการโฆษณาบนโทรศัพท์มือถือคือดินแดนใหม่ที่จะเป็นบ่อทองแห่งต่อไปของกูเกิล แต่งานนี้ยังต้องลุ้นว่า กระทรวงยุติธรรมสหรัฐฯ จะลงดาบแท้งดีลระหว่างกูเกิลและแอดม็อบหรือไม่ เนื่องจากเสียงครหาว่าการซื้อขายบริษัทครั้งนี้อาจนำไปสู่การผูกขาดซึ่งจะทำให้ตลาดโฆษณาบนโทรศัพท์มือถือขาดการแข่งขันเสรี

การซื้อบริษัทแอดม็อบของกูเกิลในครั้งนี้ไม่แคล้วถูกมองว่าเป็นการปูทางให้กูเกิลสามารถขยายตลาดโฆษณาออกนอกโลกอินเทอร์เน็ตมาสู่โลกโทรศัพท์มือถือ กลยุทธ์นี้จะเสริมกันกับระบบปฏิบัติการแอนดรอยด์ (Android) ซึ่งกูเกิลใจดีให้ผู้ผลิตโทรศัพท์มือถือนำไปใช้งานได้ฟรี โดยเทคโนโลยีของแอดม็อบนั้นจะทำให้ผู้ใช้โทรศัพท์มือถือสามารถเห็นภาพกราฟฟิกโฆษณาได้ ขณะเดียวกันนักการตลาดก็จะมีช่องทางให้วางโฆษณาบนเว็บไซต์เพื่อโทรศัพท์มือถือได้

นักวิเคราะห์จาก J.P. Morgan ให้ข้อมูลว่า รายรับของแอดม็อบโดยเฉลี่ยนั้นอยู่ที่ประมาณ 45-60 ล้านเหรียญต่อปี แน่นอนว่ายังเติบโตโตได้อีกมาก เมื่อแอดม็อบย้ายมาอยู่ในชายคากูเกิล

ดีลซื้อขายบริษัทครั้งนี้ถือเป็นดีลที่มีมูลค่าสูงสุดอันดับ 3 ในประวัติศาสตร์กูเกิล โดยปี 2008 กูเกิลซื้อบริษัทดับเบิลคลิก (DoubleClick) ด้วยเงิน 3,100 ล้านเหรียญ เป็นดีลที่เกิดหลังจากการซื้อยูทูบ (YouTube) ในปี 2006 ด้วยเงิน 1,650 ล้านเหรียญ

น่าเสียดายที่ผู้บริหารกูเกิลไม่ยอมให้รายละเอียดเกี่ยวกับการคาด หวังในแง่ผลกำไรจากการเทเงินจำนวน 750 ล้านเหรียญในครั้งนี้ โดยกล่าวเพียงว่าดีลนี้จะทำให้กูเกิลสามารถเติบโตได้ในตลาดโทรศัพท์มือถือ

กูเกิลไม่เปิดเผยว่าสามารถทำรายได้จากตลาดโทรศัพท์มือถือเป็นเท่าใด เมื่อเทียบกับรายได้รวม 22,000 ล้านเหรียญฯตลอดปี 2008 ระบุเพียงว่าเมื่อเดือนที่ผ่านมาผู้ใช้โทรศัพท์มือถือหันมาใช้บริการค้นหาข้อมูลของกูเกิลเพิ่มขึ้นถึง 30%

หวั่นผูกขาด

กูเกิลระบุว่าไม่หวั่นใจผลการตรวจสอบของทางการสหรัฐฯ และคาดว่าจะสามารถดำเนินการควบรวมบริษัทได้เสร็จภายในไม่กี่เดือนนับจากนี้ ทั้งหมดสวนทางกับการวิเคราะห์ของสำนักข่าวต่างประเทศ ซึ่งตั้งข้อสังเกตว่าอิทธิพลของกูเกิลอาจผูกขาดการค้าในตลาดโฆษณาบนมือถือ

ความกังวลเรื่องการผูกขาดการค้าของกูเกิลนั้นคือความกังวลว่า บริษัทรายย่อยในตลาดโฆษณาบนโทรศัพท์มือถืออาจจะสู้กับกูเกิลไม่ไหวจนทำให้อุตสาหกรรมไม่มีพัฒนาการเท่าที่ควร ทั้งในแง่ความคิดสร้างสรรค์และความสามารถในการแข่งขัน ซึ่งเมื่อประเมินแล้ว การซื้อบริษัทนั้นทำให้กูเกิลได้รับประโยชน์ฝ่ายเดียวแต่ทำให้ภาพรวม อุตสาหกรรมเสียหาย จุดนี้ทำให้หลายสำนักชี้ว่ากระทรวงยุติธรรมอาจจะห้ามไม่ให้ดีลดังกล่าวเกิดขึ้น

แอดม็อบนั้นเป็นบริษัทที่มีเครือข่ายโฆษณาบนโทรศัพท์มือถือกว่า 15,000 เว็บไซต์ โดยอีริก ชมิดต์ ซีอีโอกูเกิลเคยกล่าวว่าวิกฤตเศรษฐกิจนั้นสร้างโอกาสที่ดีให้กูเกิลในการควบรวมบริษัท เนื่องจากทำให้กูเกิลสามารถซื้อบริษัทในราคาที่ไม่สูงนัก ซึ่งเฉลี่ยแล้วกูเกิลนั้นลงทุนซื้อบริษัทราว 1 บริษัทต่อ 1 เดือน

โดย ASTVผู้จัดการออนไลน์

My First android app....Woot!

So I(well me and matty) have started dabbling with development for android. Android is the Google platform that we see hitting the cell market hot and heavy right now. I figure that it cant hurt to learn new stuff and I really enjoy it so why not.

This is my first app for android. I used the eclipse environment with the Android Plugin and I am developing on a Mac. Its a simple Clerks 2 soundboard.(a few buttons that play clips from a movie when they are pushed) Its not finished and I still have quite a few things that i want to do with it but it illustrates some concepts that i had a hard time finding on the web. It shows how to call the xml buttons from the java src, how I got different sounds to the buttons with a simple if statement and just haw to declare the different variables. Its nothing elegant or any thing fancy just some basics as I am learn.

The clips are not even close to kid friendly and are offensive to almost everyone. Don’t play them if vulgarity bothers you.

Source

Motorola Droid -- Ongoing Impressions

No question about it, Verizon’s (s vz) ad campaign for the Droid has stoked public awareness of the new Android phone. I have been using it solid for a few days now and it is rare to run into someone who hasn’t heard about the Motorola (s mot) Droid. Like the campaign that Sprint (s s) and Palm (s palm) run for the Pre, it shows how mainstream smartphones are becoming.

Having used the Droid for a few days, let me share my ongoing impressions of the phone. First up, I get asked how I can use so many evaluation phones, while maintaining my sanity having four carrier phones of my own. That’s a fair question, and one with a simple answer. Google Voice is the magic that makes all this work for me. I forward all four of my own phone lines to the Google Voice number, and the GV number is forwarded to the phone I carry with me. Right now that phone is the Droid, so no matter which of my numbers gets a call, it rings on the Droid. Text messages to all four of my phones go right to the Droid through GV, too. And since the Android version of GV is so complete, I set the Droid to use GV for all outgoing calls. It just works.

So back to the Droid, what do I think so far? How does it compare to other phones I own or have evaluated? Would I recommend it for purchase? Patience, I’ll do my best to answer these questions and more.

I have been using the Droid exclusively for the past 4 days, and overall I like it. The size and weight are good for carrying it around in my pocket, and it feels good in the hand. I find the construction is very solid, even the slider has no extra play in operation. It offers a full experience for such a small device.

I am still impressed with the display, it is just beautiful to use for extended sessions. It is bright and vivid, and text is so crisp and easy to read. I find it is so resolute that I routinely use smaller fonts than I do with other phones, and that means more content on the screen at once. The touchscreen has a nice, light touch and is easy to work with.

Android 2.0 is a good evolution for the platform, and I have encountered no issues with phone operation. I am experienced with Android and that no doubt helps, as I find everything where I expect it to be. The widgets work as expected, and while some older widgets do not work on the higher resolution screen of the Droid, most I’ve tried work fine. Having used Android phones with both 5 and 7 home screens that can be customized, I find the three screens of default Android (as on the Droid) to be limiting.

Speaking of customization, that is done using those widgets on Android phones. There are many such widgets in the Android Market, which is good as the Droid ships with none. I found the Droid very plain jane out of the box, and Motorola/ Verizon would be wise to include some widgets for the phone. Widgets not only add functionality and convenience, but they can create the very look and feel of a phone. I am probably biased in this regard having used the HTC Hero for a bit, as the HTC Sense interface is just a bunch of widgets included on that phone. The Droid needs something to make the default home screen special, but all it has out of the box is a few app icons.

The Droid operation is very solid and performance is quite good. Everyone I have let play with the Droid has commented how fast everything happens, and that’s accurate. I find the hardware to be quite capable, even driving that high resolution display. I rarely experience any lags, and find I am able to concentrate on the task at hand rather than the phone itself. That’s the mark of a good device.

I find I rarely use the physical keyboard on the Droid. It’s not a great keyboard to start with, but frankly I find the onscreen keyboards (both portrait and landscape) to be pretty good. The only times I open up the keyboard in landscape mode is if the onscreen keyboard will take up too much of the screen. It does take up over half the screen, and while usually not a problem for short entries, sometimes I need to see the whole screen. The keyboard is useful to have if needed, and since it adds very little thickness or weight I’d rather have it available than not.

Last weekend I took the Droid to a monthly Geek Gathering, and everyone was very impressed with the phone. This was a tough crowd, too, as everyone was tech-savvy and very tuned into the smartphone scene. The performance of the Droid was mentioned repeatedly, and the fact it had a sliding keyboard while remaining so thin was a hot topic.

I have seen on the web numerous reviewers state that the Droid is the best Android phone to date. I largely agree with that assessment, but I temper that a little. If the carrier was not a factor and I was going to buy a phone today, I would buy the HTC Hero on Sprint. There are a few reasons for that choice that I’ll share.

I found the Hero to be just as good a performer as the Droid. While the display was not quite as big as that of the Droid, the Hero was a bit smaller making it a tad more portable. I’ve already stated that I don’t use the physical keyboard on the Droid that much, so the lack of one on the Hero didn’t bother me at all. HTC has included their own onscreen keyboards on the Hero, and they are better than the stock Android versions on the Droid.

The one thing (besides the carrier) that would have me choose the Droid over the Hero is Android 2.0. Specifically, it is the Google Maps Navigation that is included in Android 2.0. I have used the Google Navigation on the Droid and it is flat-out awesome. One 20-mile trip across town I made with the Droid as the navigator demonstrated to me how powerful it is. The ability to follow the route with the overhead satellite view is so useful I can’t state that emphatically enough. I have used navigation systems for years and this first attempt by Google already blows them all away. I would choose the Droid over the Hero for this reason alone, but it’s coming to the Hero soon.

HTC has already stated that it would be updating the Hero to Android 2.0 soon, and that is the clincher for me. Assuming that Google Maps Navigation will be in that upgrade, the Hero is the phone I would choose. HTC includes the Sense interface, a collection of home screen widgets which add a ton of utility while making the phone’s look and feel miles ahead of the Droid’s. Throw in the Hero’s physical phone buttons, and it’s my solid choice.

I still like my Palm (s palm) Pre, don’t fret you Pre enthusiasts. But I find I can have more utility out of the box with apps already available in the Android Market, and I’m not alone in that regard.

Apple App Store's Android Adversary

Everyone’s talking about App Store from your Mum to Jeremy Clarkson; but when was the last time either of them knew about anything cool? The new law breaking, street corner skulking Android (black)Market is here, but what’s it all about?

It would be easy to turn your nose up at Android Market, particularly given its currently cemented second place position in terms of total apps when compared to the gargantuan Apple App Store. But despite Apple’s complete dominance of figures with a total of just above 100,000 apps for download (stats available at 148apps.biz) – Android still holds its own against Steve Jobs’ beast with a tasty collection of distinctly different apps.

It would be foolish to disregard the more than 15,000 apps available in Android Market (stats available at Androlib.com) especially when considering that 64% of these are free. It’s worth noting that the regulations surrounding the publishing of Android Apps are much less restrictive giving rise to some fantastic (and occasionally borderline legal) apps which will guarantee the dropped jaw of an iPhone wielding friend in the not-so-distant future. Let’s not forget that along with the brand-new (and considerably better) look and feel of Android Market courtesy of the Donut upgrade, that Android is Google’s brainchild ensuring the development of a few killer apps featuring that shimmery goodness that is high cost production.

It’s clear that Google don’t regard Android Market as just a tacked on extra but a key part of the Android experience, an attitude shared with Apple which has contributed to their own success. They’ve managed to support their hardware with a diverse and capable range of software; features include the ability to use widgets and run multiple apps simultaneously – something Apple can’t yet claim to match.

With a burgeoning influx of new Android phones and the inevitable growth of their market share, the massive rate of growth of app development from the past few months (an increase of 50% in available apps since June) is certain to continue. Looking forward to new apps is fine but what’s really interesting is discovering the fantastic apps already on offer in Android Market. Check out the accompanying feature to see the ten best apps available from Android Market, from those with the wow factor to those with future-essential utility and some that are just plain unexpected fun. Get acquainted with the bad-boy of app centres covered in this issue of Phonica Magazine UK.

Charles Thompson

 

Special Report - Realidade Aumentada

O site BussinessWeek realizou uma serie de reportagens sobre o uso da realidade Aumentada nos Celulares. A tecnologia que combina informações digitais com dados reais fez um salto para os smartphones e o mercado está decolando.

Esta tecnologia esta mudando a forma como os consumidores estão usando seus telefones móveis. A reportagem destaca também a dificuldade de criar aplicações baseadas nesta tecnologia.

A reportagem especial pode ser vista aqui.

Abaixo um exemplo de uso da Realidade Aumentada

Is it Too Early to Start Designing the Verizon Droid II?

Verizon Wireless starts selling its first Android phone, the Droid (“by Motorola”) today.  I have tested the new phone, and I think that it’s awesome (for a smartphone). The Droid couples impressive hardware with the much-improved Android 2.0 OS, and the result is first Android phone that’s fully worthy of being compared to the iPhone 3GS and Palm’s Pre. (It’s most definitely an example of the class of device that Walt Mossberg calls “super-smart phones.”)

I don’t expect every Verizon customer who’s currently lusting after the iPhone to buy a Droid instead, but I think a meaningful percentage will–and that overall, they’ll be pleased.

But the Droid is hardly above criticism. As I’ve been using one and mostly enjoying the experience, my mind has been racing ahead to…next year’s model. (I’m assuming there will be one: Already, Verizon is releasing another phone in the Droid lineup, the Droid Eris.)

So here’s my quick wishlist for the phone I’m calling the Droid II–the next major collaboration between Verizon, Motorola,and Google.

A better keyboard. I want to like the Droid’s wide QWERTY keyboard, but so far I can’t muster much enthusiasm for its feel–the overall thinness of the phone has resulted in keys without enough travel for truly satisfying typing. (I do like the fact that it frees up all of the handsome screen’s 854-by-480 pixels for content, not virtual keys.)

It’s gotta be possible to squeeze a better keyboard into the space the Droid has–for one thing, the little five-way controller to the right of the keys seems superfluous on a touchscreen device. Dump it, and you could widen the keys and make them more comfy. I’d also be tickled if the Droid II took a cue from the AT&T Tilt I used to carry and angled the screen up when you slid out the keyboard.

 

On the other hand, the Droid’s keyboard is one in a long line of landscape-mode models that have ultimately broken my heart. I keep thinking that wider is better, but the only handset manufacturer that consistently provides good keyboards is RIM–and it squeezes BlackBerry keyboards into a skinny portrait orientation. I’ve come to the conclusion that a narrower keyboard works better for thumb-typing, because it lets you reach any key with one of your thumbs without any unnatural stretching.

With that in mind, what if the Droid II took a cue from the Pre and provided a slide-out portrait mode keyboard? The image above is my crude, ugly mockup of what it might look like; the keyboard is swiped from a BlackBerry Bold. Give the keys a little more travel than on the Droid I, and you might have a keyboard that would make BlackBerry fans comfortable and at least some iPhone owners jealous.

Full-blown multitouch. The Droid’s hardware and operating system both support it–it’s just that neither the OS nor any of the bundled apps use it. Should be easy to fix: The Droid II should use pinching and pulling to adjust magnification in the browser, the photo viewer, and anywhere else that you need to resize your view.

A more streamlined interface. Android 2.0 is pretty pleasing overall, but it’s also a tad ungainly compared to the obsessive minimalism of the iPhone interface: Controlling the phone involves four buttons, a keyboard, a five-way controller, and, of course, a touchscreen. I don’t want to see all of that go away–I like the back button and wish the iPhone had something similar–but let’s put simplification and streamlining on the to-do list for Android 3.0, and hope that it’s ready in time for the Droid II.

A more impressive camera. The Droid I’s model sounds impressive, with five megapixels of resolution and a dual-LED flash. I found that it took nice pictures in adequate sunlight, but that interior shots in dim lighting came out murky. (The iPhone 3GS may have a third less pixels and lack flash, but its autofocus lens and image-processing technology add up to a camera that’s more than the sum of its specs.)

The Droid II doesn’t need any more megapixels, and if the case is going to stay thin there’s a limit to how much better the lens can get. But I’d like to think that improved imaging software could eke better pictures out of the same hardware.

Music syncing. Entertainment is the single area where the iPhone is most strikingly better than the Droid. For starters, the Droid lets you copy music from PC or Mac via USB, but provides no means of syncing tracks so that you don’t have to rummage around in folders to find stuff. The Droid II should avoid Pre-style iTunes-compatibility shenanigans, but there’s no reason why it couldn’t come with a utility to sync the phone with iTunes. Maybe Verizon can just put a custom version of DoubleTwist on the phone.

Movie downloads. The Droid I has a video player, but no features for acquiring content to watch beyond its built-in YouTube content. Man does not live by clips of laughing babies alone, so the Droid II should have a way to rent and buy films and TV shows. Maybe Verizon, Motorola, and/or Google can strike a deal with either Amazon (who supplies the Android music store) or CinemaNow.

A standard task manager. Maybe this is just a hangup of mine–I wish the iPhone had one too–and I’m aware there are third-party solutions, such as the nifty Remember the Milk. But I’d like to see Android get a standard task manager that integrated with Google’s online task service as well as Android’s e-mail and calendar meld with Gmail and Google Calendar.

A real ringer/vibration switch. Unlike the iPhone and the Pre, the Droid makes you look at the screen to set the phone to vibrate. A physical switch would let you silence the phone without taking it out of your pocket and annoying fellow theatergoers.

A screen built for the real world. The iPhone 3GS’s display has been remarkably durable in my experience (I’ve stepped on mine; no damage) and its oleophobic coating does a good job of keeping it desmudged. I’m actually not sure whether the Droid I has comparable features or not. But if it doesn’t, let’s get them on the II.

A bit more speed in certain places. For the most part, the Droid I is a pleasingly snappy performer–that’s one of the reasons it’s the best Android phone to date. There are, however, a few places where a little more optimization would make a world of difference. The phone app, for instance, feels surprisingly sluggish at times.

Even more apps. Android already has 12,000, which is enough to be valuable, but not enough to induce the giddy feeling you can get from iPhone’s 100,000 title App Store. I don’t know how many Android apps will be around by the time the Droid II ships, but I’m confident that it’ll be a healthy improvement on today’s total.

Okay, that’s enough wish-listing for now. Verizon customers (and everyone else, for that matter): Are you tempted to plunk down $199 (after $100 rebate and two-year contract) for today’s Droid?

via Technologizer

RIP: Garmin & TomTom

Rest in peace, Garmin and TomTom – the Android will bleed you dry and eventually kill you… it will be slow and painful.

You’ve been busy spending time developing hardware and software, all of which has fallen very short of perfection. Very few companies (ehhhm, Apple) have been able to do that successfully, and you are not one of them.

You always turn on too slowly, you dont query a server for points of interest (POI’s) and require that I manually upload POI’s or pay for your “premium” services. You have have dated user interfaces and none of you augment my reality or act as my phone…

Well… you try to be my phone:

Anyways, let me save you the trouble and tell you what will happen to you:

1) You will consolidate the marketplace

2) You will develop inferior mobile applications (you don’t know software-not really, even if you do integrate with google maps)

3) You will have to slash prices… and shed manpower

4) And finally, you will slowly but surely shrink out of existence

So say good night, Garmin & TomTom – spend your last few years in quiet dignity.

Google Android real intentions

A while ago I read this interview with Google VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra (read the full version here ). To summarize, Google believes that in the long term all mobile apps will run on the browser and not on native code.

For context, the iPhone has shown us that the mobile device experience boils down to internet browsing and apps. To date, by far the largest winner in mobile apps is still the iphone with 50K apps and counting and over 1B downloads, despite efforts from other players to open up their own app stores, including RIM, Android, Nokia, and oh yeah, Windows Phones. Apps developed for the iPhone are coded in native code, which means they only run on Iphones (or Ipod Touch)

So if you are Android there are two clear choices (maybe there are more, but at the moment I can’t think of any). Either you, a la Microsoft, create your own app environment, open up a store, and attract developers running a sweepstakes (sorry, a contest). Check!

Or you dilute the game a little bit by introducing another marketplace of heft, by doing so creating another viable alternative for developers, diminishing the intrinsic value of each of the other available marketplace one can develop on, and creating confusion. Also, Check!

But this second choice, which was reviewed on Saul Hansell’s article in the NY Times last week, is far more insidious than what meets the eye. By lowering the intrinsic value of all native code marketplaces, Google props up the value of cross-platform alternatives, ie the browser. Which brings us back full circle to Vic’s comments.

As it turns out, the browser is Google’s house. Google rules the browser, it is its native environment. So as Tsun Tsu would say (and I am sure if he didn’t he probably did not get to it), by wooing apps to the browser Google will fight in familiar territory. In it, Google will turn on its monetization engine and the game will be over.

However there are a few hurdles to overcome. First of which, if mobile follows the PC, browser-based games (ie flash games, etc) tend to be good as casual games, which is also the type of game downloaded on the mobile (over 80% of downloaded apps are games). Also the ecosystem only supports $.99 apps, for which only casual games can be developed. But if the mobile phone is to evolved the way the PC did, games on the phone will soon become more complex, graphics will be better and the experience will trend towards immersive. In this scenario, browser games have not done well – just look at the PC.
As for the rest of the apps, the jury is also out. Latency, security, and other issues will, at least in the short and medium term, prevent browser-based apps to flourish to its full potential.

On a subsequent post we will analyze what do the winners look like in this market dynamics.

Use of iPhone apps - some figures

Some interesting facts & figures from JournalduNet (Aug. 2009):

An iPhone user downloads on average 10 mobile apps per month. An iPod Touch user almost double.

Most users find their apps “by coincidence”.  Searching a specific app, usually because of word of mouth, only comes second place.

iPhone users are more willing to pay for their apps than Android users.

An iPhone user spends on average 9,49 USD per month on apps.

Almost 6 out of 10 iPhone users downloads between 1 and 3 paying apps per month.  5%  buys more than 20.

Half of the users spends less than 5 USD per month on apps. One out of 4 pays between 6 and 10 USD. 

More Gmail Problems - Slowness

This is part 5 of a short story of personal exploration and development by one new to the daily employment of Gmail, long resisted, long desired, and eventually brought to conversion by an Android.

Part 5: To Resist

Recently our journey began. From the humble origins of Outlook to the portable synchronicity of the Windows Mobile platform, I did travel, did evolve, as needs, desires, and demands of communication and productivity so evolved and changed. Through the darkness of masked potential so emerged new and exciting opportunities. But, to fully grasp this fortune, these new degrees of productivity, it is important to pause, take measure of, and understand the crux at the heart at the core of the resistance to Gmail.

I am often asked, more so in the days since my recent conversion to Gmail, what is was, specifically, precisely, that caused me to build up such a strong aversion to a product such as this. And, the final piece, pieces, that made whole, almost immutable, my resistance to this conversion were the slowness, and the abundance of the little things.

Slow Play

The slow ticking, deafening to one waiting for the anticipated. Uncomfortable, the overbearing beating experienced, slowly. For far too often, especially when compared with its (Gmail’s) client-based counterparts, the tortuous drip of the less than instant search…

…as well as the much lamented loading and screen transitions …

…that seem, even to this day, to reassert themselves and do cause the reluctant reassessment, of reversion from this conversion. And, impediments enough prior to that, too fostered, bolstered the overall aversion.

Thus Be Slow

This product, whose existence in my heart was a duality of contradiction, both courted and simultaneously resisted, placed further strains on this relationship that was still yet to be through its exhibition of yet another form of slow, adding unnecessary ballast to an already firmly cemented resistance.

This flame, with whom I oft flirted and fled, constantly tempted me, showing me a directional inclination to meet my needs and address my concerns. Such innovations were Gmail’s enchantments.

Dressed in exciting and alluring features befitting many a niche market and wanton suitor, myself not excluded, Gmail showed off such items as inline Netflix — great for that quick, one-time thrill; directionally appealing, but not enough upon which to build a long term relationship.

My family is a small one, but with everyone having their role and doing their part, up to now always getting along. Sure, there’s the occasional spat. But, in the end the family has always come together, harmony reached, OneNote sharing with Outlook, email and notes kindly cooperating and linking up with calendar, etc.

Gmail looked like it may someday get along with the whole family. However and again, its slowness came into play. Oh, sure, it worked hard in demonstrating the desire to improve and move in this direction, but lacking in facility, and those of which to bring home to and boast about.

But, for sealing the deal, a broader, some more whole approach, more generally appealing would be needed.

Separations

Passionate reunions were, over this long courtship, ignited…

I waited, just outside, for what seemed, maybe even was, an eternity, to be able to take Gmail out and offline. But, while the time did eventually come, and did go a long way in wearing down my long established resistance, freeing myself and Gmail in our travels, enjoying our time in the park, on the plane, in far off places, places where WiFi had yet to reach.

… but, each and every time ending in disappointment, each subsequent breakup more disheartening than the last.

And, while dazzling, this flame, with whom I flirted, was a slow burning one. The evidence of aforementioned inclinations dwindled, giving rise to apprehensions of illusions, concerns of progress in ways most fitting to the needs most relevant, most pertinent to my resistance.

Little Things & The Resistance

But, what of the other reasons for my resistance, which managed to be sustained from the early days of the private Gmail beta to the most recent of but few weeks passed? What sort of little things could have kept me apart from Gmail for so long a time? For surely there must be more to such a stalwart position as has been held by me, and I am sure many others still, for, for them, the resistance most definitely continues. And, indeed there are. In addition to…

Exiguous Encouragement,
Inescapable IO (Information Overload), and
Suffersome Slowness

… there too are the staunch galvanizers of resistance …

Tiny Things.

The Next

And, these propellants of reluctance, delayers of adoption, the fundamental causes of my resistance to what would eventually be overshadowed and forced aside, through the coercion of an Android to my conversion to the ways of Gmail, will, my friends, have to wait until next week.

Subscribe now (click here) to make sure you don’t miss any part of this series exploring the eventual adoption of Gmail in one’s daily life, by one once thoroughly addicted to, dependent on, the primarily client-based solution of Microsoft’s Outlook,

what brought about this conversion, (1) (2)
why it took so long, and (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
what should be done to encourage greater Gmail adoption. (8)

Enjoy & Tweet!

Jeremy Horn
The Product Guy

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Newspapers for Android

Wow, this is a jolly good application for the Android platform. For a miserly 99pence you get access to more than 20 newspapers from mainly UK and USA. Some give better content than others but the idea is good and it is quicker than going to the websites. I bought the “full” version as it enables you to save “favourites” for quicker access but there is a free version that does everything else except the favourites bit. I hope there is something like this available for the Pre sometime soon….

Navigasi gratis untuk GPS disediakan Google untuk android

Google menyediakan aplikasi navigasi berbasis GPS (global positioning system) gratis untuk smartphone yang menggunakan platform Android. Aplikasi yang dinamai Google Maps Navigation tersebut akan tersedia pertama kali di Motorola Droid yang akan dirilis Verizon di AS, 6 November 2009.

Dibandingkan aplikasi navigasi pada umumnya, Google Maps Navigation punya sejumlah kelebihan. Aplikasi yang baru bisa bekerja di sistem operasi Android 2.0 itu tidak hanya menyediakan sejumlah fitur standar aplikasi navigasi GPS seperti tampilan peta tiga dimensi dan panduan arah dengan suara.

Namun, aplikasi tersebut juga menyediakan fitur lain seperti pencarian dengan suara, informasi lalu lintas, peta satelit, “street view”, hingga foto objek tujuan. Bahkan, dengan aplikasi ini, pengguna bisa mengetahui rute perjalanan ke sejumlah lokasi penting seperti SPBU atau restoran.

Kehadiran Google Maps Navigation ini diperkirakan akan menjadi pesaing utama solusi navigasi yang sudah banyak tersedia di pasaran. Misalnya aplikasi buatan Garmin atau TomTom. Dengan aplikasi itu salah satunya, Verizon menyebut0nyebut Motorola Droid sebagai penantang iPhone buatan Apple dan BlackBerry buatan Research In Motion.

sumber : kompas.com