Mereja

Author: Raphael Savina

  • Mobile World Congress 2010

    Mobile World Congress is starting this Monday in Barcelona, Spain and you will be lucky to have 2 Android Guys (Patryk Zabick and myself) walking through hundred of booths and meeting lots of companies involved on Android. We will be reporting on all the latest devices, applications and technologies.

    You certainly have seen these past weeks lots of pre-MWC announcements and it looks like this 2010 edition will be as interesting for Android as was the CES in Las Vegas last month. This is going to be an historic week for Android with tons of surprises so keep it locked on AndroidGuys and subscribe to the feed or follow us on Twitter to make sure not to miss anything.

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  • Opinions From an Apple & Google Fanboy

    There has been plenty of spilled ink (and pixels) surrounding products released over the past few years by Google and Apple with both putting   out game changers or a iWhatever killers.  A perceived rift may be becoming a reality.  As both an Apple and Google fanboy, I am saddened by a situation that doesn’t seem as if it will ever get better.

    I really like what both companies are doing even if they have their respective issues.  Nobody is perfect. I will list a few of the things I like and don’t, you can perfectly disagree with the following statements and share your point of view in a comment.

    • Apple has a great OS: Mac OS X. It can be simple if you don’t want to know how it works but you can also have access to Terminal and the power of Unix.
    • Google has a great email service: Either Gmail or with Google Apps (only online and not through pop3 or imap on a client). I think this is the next step of evolution for email: huge storage accessible whatever device you are using, labels and not folders, powerful search.
    • Apple is controlling: Apple, or maybe just Steve Jobs, think they know exactly what consumers want and what they don’t need. Apparently, we don’t need Blu-ray drive in high-end computers or camera on a tablet.
    • Google is slow: Like any large companies, everything takes time. They have to evaluate everything and this process take time. Sometime I wish they change things as fast as they can give search results. When will we be able to buy Android apps in more countries?

    However they share a lots and worked together in the past. Google is still providing web search and maps for Apple products and even if Apple would like to change the situation, it will not be easy and quick.

    Now, how can someone can be both an Apple and Google fans. The logic would say that if you own a Mac computer, you will own an iPhone. If you compare Android OS and Mac OS X they have tons of similarity:



    -Menu bar in OS X and Notification Bar in Android: You’ll get the time here, your network status, battery status… all in the same place.

    -Dock and Slider bar: These are very similar concept, you click or drag and you will see icons of all your apps.

    -Terminal/root: On both systems you can use the stock interface as it is or you can customize and improve it. I have Path Finder to replace the Finder on my Mac and a MoDaCo ROM on my HTC Hero.

    –WebKit: Safari on OS X and Android browser are based on the same open source engine used to render web pages.

    I could add few more but the point is that Mac OS X and Android have a lot more in commun than Mac OS X and the iPhone (or iPad to be trendy). So, for an Apple/Google fanboy the logical choice is to own an Android phone that you will be able to use like you are using you Mac OS X computer. Would you agree?

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  • 50 Android Games in One Video

    In this video from AndroidHD, you’ll see a short presentation of 50 Android-based games.  Who said that Android was not a great platform for gaming?  Looks like we’re off to a good start so far.

    The games shown in the video are:

    • Homerun Battle 3D
    • Speed Forge 3D
    • Radiant
    • Flight Director
    • Zen Table Tennis
    • Tank Ace 1944
    • Sky Force
    • Shoot U!
    • Armageddon Squadron
    • Light Racer 3D
    • Gang Wars
    • Wave Blazer
    • Death Ride
    • Head to Head Racing
    • Avatar
    • Farm Frenzy
    • Light Racer
    • Family Guy Uncensored
    • Super Boom Boom
    • Toonwarz
    • Air Hockey
    • Meteor
    • What the Doodle!?
    • Raging Thunder
    • The Settlers
    • Lightup
    • The Game of Life
    • Military Madness
    • Bebbled
    • Jump Santa Jump
    • Diner Dash
    • Brain Challenge
    • Assassins Creed
    • Space Physics
    • Million Dollar Poker
    • Derek Jeter 2009
    • Armored Strike
    • Robo Defense
    • Guitar Hero
    • Air Attack
    • WPT Texas Hold’em
    • De Blob
    • Papastacker
    • Spades
    • Spore
    • Tennis Slam
    • Iron Sight
    • Tetris
    • Tower Bloxx
    • Mechanics Touch
    • Tightrope Hero
    • Fying Aces

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  • PLEN Robot Controlled by Android [VIDEO]

    Those of you with piles of cash might be interested in picking up a PLEN hobby robot for your desk.  The roughly 9″ tall “droid” can be controlled via Bluetooth, either by your cell phone or PC keyboard.  You know where I’m going with this… Check out the video below of a PLEN robot (android) controlled by an app on Android. 

    PLEN robots are already selling in Japan for 262,500 yen ($3,000 in US).  Though expensive,  it (he) is a very capable little guy who will be happy to perform for you.  One can make it roller skate and perform skateboard stunts.

    I don’t know about you but I can see Android powering more real-life Androids in the future.

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  • Unofficial Count Has Android Market Hovering Near 25,000 Apps

    It has been barely a month  since we talked about the number of apps unofficially hitting the 20,000 mark and we’re ready for another milestone.  At some point in the next few days, the tally should put the Android Market at 25,000 apps.

    Keep in mind that these numbers from Androlib don’t match exactly the totals in the market but as there are no other proven way of getting these figures from the official Market pages they can still be considered an indication of the growth.

    So the predictions we’ve made in December about hitting 30,000 in the next 2-3 months might have been underestimated!

    It is also interesting to note that, the number of paid apps is getting (slowly) higher. Last September it was 35.7%, in December 37.7% and today 39.2%.

    In term of satisfaction, 62.14% of users are happy with their apps with 42.8% of them at 5 stars rating (English Market). Considering there sheer volume (so far), it sounds like a lot of crappy applications polluting the Market.

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  • FixIt!: Google Calendar and time zones

    One of the best features of Android is the integration with Google’s services. If you are using Gmail and Google Calendar, you will like the fact that everything will be seamlessly synchronized between the cloud and your Android device. The issue is that any problems on one side will be duplicated on the other side; i.e. if your contacts in Gmail are a mess with duplicates and redundancies… they will be exactly like that on your Android.

    One of the major weaknesses of Google Calendar is the lack of time zone tuning when you create new events. To illustrate this, let me tell you a story.

    Last December, I went with my family for few days to Brussels (GMT +1) coming from Dublin (GMT). I had created events a few weeks earlier in Google Calendar for our flights with the reservation numbers, thanks to online checking I didn’t have to carry print-outs and could have everything on my HTC Hero. On the way to Brussels, an early morning flight and the buzz associated with the few days of holidays didn’t make me notice there was something wrong with my arrival time (it seemed we arrived earlier than planned). After few days, it was time to go back to Dublin, I checked the calendar in Android, the flight was planned for about 11.00am. We took our time but still were at the airport early only to be surprised when we realized that the time for our flight was not 11.00am but 10.00am… We didn’t have the time for a nice breakfast after all and made it to the plane with little time to spare! I should not have been caught up like this but I guess I had too much faith in Google Calendar.

    When I had input the times for the flights on my computer, Google Calendar associated these with Dublin time (GMT) but once in Brussels, the HTC Hero changed automatically the time to GMT+1, as expected, but additionally changed the time for ALL the events in the calendar so that they stayed on GMT (Dublin time). So the return flight was 10.00am to 11.00am but became 11.00am to 12.00am…

    In a perfect world, it should be possible to set the time zone for the start and end time of each events in Google Calendar (or on Android). It is not possible right now but it is something to be looked after by Google immediately! There is already talk about it on the Google Code Android page.

    The only way to avoid issues is to take the time zones changes into account when creating events. For flights, not insert the time of arrival at destination but add the flying time to the take-off time. For appointments that will occur when you will be in a different time zone, used the time for the time zone setup in your Calendar settings (or on your phone). I agree, this is not an easy gymnastic!

    To help you can display one extra (just one!) time zone in Google Calendar (see Calendar Settings – General – Show an additional time zone). You should also activate the World Clock from the Labs page, to be able to see a few different time zones.

    This is something that should have been corrected a long time ago by Google… something hat should be prioritized for the next Android update.

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  • Glyph Launches Free Mobile App Localization Program

    Glyph Language Services, a Seattle company, has launched a limited time offer to localize mobile games and applications for free. New clients can receive localization and emulator testing services for one Android or iPhone app in one target language.

    The offer includes localization of up to 1000 words of content from the UI, source code and distribution portal, plus emulator testing of the localized app and valuable publicity via a mention of the app on Glyph’s blog.

    Available target languages, done by qualified translators, include English, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, Italian, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Polish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean or Japanese.

    “The offer is a great way for large established games and app development operations to get a feel for Glyph’s expertise in mobile apps and web localization. This is a great niche for our company and we are excited to be a part of the globalization of the platforms,” commented Glyph CEO Aaron Schliem.

    So, if you are an Android developer who is trying to get more users, getting your application professionally translated for free is a nice offer, even with the limitations and conditions.

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  • Who to Ask for Support for Nexus One…

    The Nexus One, while being a very good Android device, has some issues. It is starting with the ordering process with Google and the upgrade eligibility with T-Mobile. There are also reports of signal quality with 3G as outline by Gizmodo. The Nexus One is made by HTC, distributed by Google and subsidized by T-Mobile, so who is responsible for technical support, software updates and contract conditions…?

    Well HTC, through their Tweet account said 2 days ago:

    For the Nexus One, rate plan related ?’s should go to your carrier. Hardware/software support, please reach out to HTC http://ow.ly/UnTI

    and again today:

    Again, if you need hardware/software support with Nexus One, please contact us (HTC) via http://ow.ly/VemJ

    They take responsibility on their part of the deal, which is nice. Then, we can only assume that the 3G problem a lot of users are experiencing will be resolved with a software upgrade from HTC.

    It seems the problem with the confusion came from Google who didn’t communicate about this, they could have done it from the Nexus One’s page. Also, T-Mobile was not ready to deal with the specific of customers already on contract with them as outlined by TmoNews.

    Unfortunately, once again, this highlight the fact that carriers don’t care much about existing customers and prefer to be nice only with potential new ones! Google want to change the game by distributing the phone themselves but until there is an infrastructure in place (WiFi everywhere or use of white spaces) to do without them, we still have to deal with carriers!


  • Nothing Wrong With Google Promoting Nexus One Through Free WiFi

    In my travels, I have paid for WiFi a couple of times so I appreciate when I can get access internet for free. When this is the case, I don’t mind getting some ads or having to fill-out a form to briefly share my impressions about the coffee shop I am visiting.  In case you haven’t heard, Google is offering free WiFi in a number of airports (almost) all over the U.S. Not only that, but also in free flight with Virgin America. They also pledged to match donations made via participating WiFi networks, up to a maximum of $250,000. A kind gesture…

    Lately, there’s been outrage or disbelief about Google’s intentions because they are using this offer to promote the Nexus One by redirecting to the phone’s page. The nerve of them to advertise one of their own products!  Well, let’s just be clear, Google is not the Red Cross.  They are in business to make money. They make us believe that they give away all of their products and services for free but they have a very profitable business model based on advertising.  We’ve been accepting free things from them for a long time in exchange for advertising.  What’s wrong with this one?


  • Dazzboard 2.0 Launches First Android App Manager With iTunes Music Integration

    There are plenty of Android users who feel that that they are missing an “all-in-one” synchronization desktop application to manage photos, videos, music and apps>  You know, something like iTunes but with your data in the cloud a la Google.  Dazzboard 2.0’s software, announced this week, looks to be exactly that.

    It is already available in Beta if you want to have a go, for now it will work only with Microsoft Windows with Internet Explorer and Firefox but a MAC OS X is planned. If your computer doesn’t have the requirements, you will be able to use a demo of the interface. (more…)

  • FixIt!: Users

    There are 4 main elements that make a successful platform: 1. great evolutionary hardware, 2. opened operative system, 3. lots of smart developers and finally 4. an enthusiastic bunch of users. If only one of these 4 elements is missing, the platform may be bound to fail over time. For the purpose of this piece, I will ignore the “phone” aspect of Android to remove the operators from the equation, we will consider Android devices as (mobile) computers rather than phones.
    We are already spoiled with Android.  There are tons of different devices to choose from and even more to come. The OS is not perfect yet but close and as it is open there are plenty of alternative solutions (Cyanogen, MoDaCo,…). The developer community is to be praised, the Market is flourishing with hundred of new apps every day. As for us, the users, we do what ever we can to evangelize and bring more fans to Android… but we should be careful not to be the actors of the demise of the platform.
    • Illegal copies of apps… No Go!

    With all the free apps available and the modest cost of most paid apps, there are no reasons for users to go on the dark side and download illegal copies. It should also be pointed out that it could be very risky to install APKs not coming from any official apps store. Not paying for your apps will do lots of damage for the developer community and to Android.

    • Comments about apps in the Market

    Again, it is coming down to the relationship between users and developers, if an app you have installed is not working or do not perform as you were expecting, it is nicer and more helpful to give feedback that will help the developer (and other users). You should also feel free to contact the developer directly, see “Send email to developer” on the Market page of each app. You will find that often they are eager to help, the lack of approval process make it also easy for them to quickly make an update available to all. For instance, if you are lucky to own a device just released on which the developer has not test the app yet, you could help and do the testing to make sure bugs are corrected.

    • Be ready to preach for Android

    What I mean by “be ready” is to not to only answer “yes” when you are asked if what you hold is a “Google Phone” but, if you can, explain which device you have and what you can do with it.  Take the time to share your enthusiasm. Have some “wow!” apps installed on your device just in case you need to make a demo. For example: Aldiko, Layar, Google Sky Map, Shazam to name only few. You should also have few good games even if you are not a player yourself. The reason behind this is the following: a person is more likely to believe a user rather than advertising and news, if more people come to Android, we will get more devices, more apps and the system will continue to evolve.

    • Accept and debate critics of Android

    David Pogue’s review of the Nexus One, which was honest and not biased as some might have feared, received very bad comments from Android fans that leads to this historical post about the “Angry Android Army”. This is sad and would be a follow up of the preaching, as an Android user you should be aware of the faults of your phone, explain why you can live with it or that there are solutions. For instance on the number of apps, yes we don’t have as many apps as the iPhone but still you can cover all the “There’s an app for that” needs. Also, more and more you will find the same app developed for the iPhone and Android.

    To conclude… as users what we should cherish our developers more than the devices and the operating system as they are the engine that will keep Android on the track to its success. We should also not be elitist and spread the word to bring more users to Android, it can only help us.

    As always, feel free to comment and share your point of view.

    For example, what apps are great for a demo or have you had any bad relationship with Android developers?


  • CES 2010: Gesture Control Software for Android

    GestureTek will announce at CES that its patented, award-winning software for gesture-based mobile device interaction now supports the Android operating system. The eyemo app uses the camera on a mobile device to sense and report device motion. The software is already enabled on multiple platforms, including the Symbian, Brew, Java, Windows Mobile and Linux platforms, enabling a “joystick”, “force of motion” and “menu selection” style of interaction.

    “Greater accessibility to GestureTek’s gesture recognition software is significant for developers in the mobile and consumer electronics space,” says Vincent John Vincent, President of GestureTek. “Developers now have the ability to create gesture-control games and applications for multiple platforms and to develop for multiple mobile devices, including those with hardware-based gesture control solutions (such as accelerometers) and software-based gesture control solutions.”

    GestureTek’s eyemo software can be delivered over the air or embedded directly into many camera-enabled devices, with no special hardware or design updates required. It is an easy to implement software solution that makes adding gesture control more cost-effective for manufacturers. Once the software is enabled, users can shake, rock or roll their phone to play games, answer calls, shuffle playlists, navigate maps, scroll, pan, zoom, turn pages and even browse the web – all without pressing a button or touching the screen.

    I can imagine fantastic games if GestureTek’s software is combined with augmented reality and multi-players. Any developers searching for new ideas reading this?


  • Future of Community (Android) ROM development

    Paul O’Brien (Founder of MoDaCo) announced today a new and exiting way to get the MoDaCo Custom ROM. The Hero Kitchen will let you select what you want or not want in your ROM. For example, if you don’t use HTC Footprints, why letting it use space in your memory. In the past, it was possible to remove elements from your ROM, but was through access via command line to your device, operation that could seen as a daunting task for some users.

    For now, it would be only for GSM HTC Hero but soon will be available to all the modified ROMs Paul has (or will have) made available to us.

    However, there are two conditions require to be able to access this ROM Kitchen. You will need to be a Paid Member of MoDaCo (starting from a bargain price of £9.90 for a year) and have a rooted device.

    I have been using Paul’s ROM on my HTC Hero for a while now and I can confirm that the update process is getting easier with added features (like WaveSecure in ROM) and visible performance improvements.


  • CES 2010: First Android Set-top Boxes

    MIPS Technologies, one of the leading provider of the processor architecture and cores that power products from home entertainment, communications, networking to portable multimedia devices, has announced a line-up of demonstrations, partnerships and technologies aimed at making Android a viable platform for digital home devices such as set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, DTVs and VoIP solutions.

    We are already aware that Android is likely to enter our home as the back-end software running our appliances but it would be more interesting to see the development of Android on MIPS as it would let Android drives more “home entertainment” appliances.

    During CES, Western Mediabridge Inc. and Sigma Designs will demonstrate the first Android set-top box. The MIPS-Based STB features video-on-demand, ThinkFree Office (Word, Spreadsheet, Presentation) viewer software, web browser, remote control/keyboard interface and 1080p video quality.

    “With Sigma Designs’ and MIPS Technologies’ industry-leading performance and Android’s open and flexible platform, our Android-based STB is one of the most innovative STB solutions in the market. We anticipate there will be a lot of Android-based products and applications in the near future which will be connected to each other. Our belief is that the Android set-top box will be positioned as a main device among in-home Android-based multimedia devices. We will continue to add more applications, making a more feature-rich Android set-top box,” said Ernest Bang, president and CEO of Western Mediabridge Inc.

    MIPS will also demonstrate a prototype of an Android-based IPTV set-top box developed by KDDI R&D Labs. Inc., it will support IPTV set-top box functionality such as multicasting, video-on-demand (VOD), remote control user interface, and digital rights management (DRM) requirements. The later is, obviously, very important to get content from the music and film industries.

    Also, MIPS will also demonstrate the Lemote YeeLoong8089 (some renaming should be done before releasing to Western markets!), a 8.9″ netbook computer running Android. According to Lemote, the YeeLoong8089, powered by a MIPS-Based Loongson processor, is “the world’s first laptop that contains completely free software“.

    Finally to complete the line-up, MIPS will demonstrate ConnecTV, a new licensable software solution from Home Jinni Inc., billed as the the world’s first social media center for Android-based embedded platforms. ConnecTV enables consumers to search, discover, categorize and enjoy online media content directly from a TV, and to communicate and share with friends from the comfort of their living room. It also enables control and distribution of media content throughout the home.

    Android will be more and more present in devices other than phones and rather than a fragmentation of the market that few fear, we might see the birth of a real ecosystem where all these devices will be communicating and sharing contents. The future looks great!