Mereja

Author: Ray Walters

  • Did Google Shoot itself in the Foot with Nexus One?

    Microsoft sure thinks so.  In a quote from Microsoft’s Robbie Bach taken from Bloomberg, it seems the software giant thinks that Google may have bitten off more than it can chew.

    The Bach Quote from Bloomberg:

    “Doing both in the way they are trying to do both is actually very, very difficult,” he said in an interview yesterday from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “Google’s announcement sends a signal where they’re going to place their commitment. That will create some opportunities for us and we’ll pursue them.”

    What Bach is talking about is the fact that Google is not pushing the Nexus One in the traditional way, either selling it themselves, or by creating partnerships with carriers with an exclusive deal.  As we know now, Google is doing it both ways.  So the question is, has Google shot itself in the foot by taking this route?

    Of course this remains to be seen, but it is a valid point that Bach makes.  The appeal of Android to carriers has been the fact that it is a free product, and available to any handset maker that wants to use it for their smartphone production.  With the current explosion of Android handsets, the inclusion of Android is a draw for the consumer to at least look at any handset that is advertised as having Google’s platform as it’s core OS.

    Another quote from Bloomberg talks about the job Google has ahead of them:



    “No one has ever succeeded in selling their own device while trying to license to partners simultaneously,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Los Angeles-based research firm Interpret LLC. “As much as Google can say it’s not a Google phone, the phone says Google on it. They’re going to have to convince their licensees they’re not in competition with them.”

    With Google’s release of the N1, it is possible that carriers and handset producers may now view that Google instead of being a welcome partner, may now be a direct competitor.  There is a very real possibility that Google will be seen to now have a stranglehold on the very people that helped them to spread Android’s influence to one of the direct competitors in the smartphone industry.  Say for example Google starts to release Nexus One exclusive updates to the Android OS that gives “special” functionality to Google’s own handset and not to other Android devices?  With the open source development of different Android branches, I am not sure if this is something that would become a possibility, but it certainly is something to think about.

    It needs to be mentioned of course that with the release of the N1, Google has now upped the ante with Microsoft in their ongoing battle.  Google and Microsoft have been head to head in almost everything, including word processing, search and mobile OS platforms.  Now Google has beaten Microsoft to the punch of having a branded handset.

    I for one do not think that Google is going to have much trouble with the way they are deciding to go with releasing the N1.  I cannot imagine that handset makers did not see something like this coming, certainly it had to be a possibility that they had foreseen.

    Google has long been a trailblazer in technology.  Not inly in technology, but how we use technology.  I think Google is blazing a new path with how the N1 is being sold, and opening future avenues of sales and revenue for the search giant.

    It will be interesting to see a year down the line how everything has fallen out.  I do not think the future includes the Android platform failing in the marketplace.

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  • LOCiMobile Brings Cross-Platform GPS Tracking to Android Users

    Having the ability to locate friends through Google Latitude is definitely a cool feature we have as part of the Android army.  But what if we want to see the location of friends who have a Blackberry or an iPhone, or other smartphone ?  Unless they have the latest version of Google Maps and can access Latitude, we are out of luck.  LOCiMobile hopes to help Android users out by porting their popular iLOC application over to Android powered handsets.

    Simply named GPSTracking, LOCiMobile allows users across multiple platforms to add their friends and share their location, as well as directions to where they are at with the touch of a button.

    The iPhone app, iLOC, has 25,000 total downloads from the iTunes store, making it a pretty successful app.  Whether or not the adoption rate on our beloved Android platform will be as good remains to be seen.  The application is a free, ad supported download.

    GPS Tracking is not a new application to Android users, but being able to reach across the platform divide may be appealing, especially if there are many different smartphone models being used in one family.

    If you’re interested in giving it a try, you can scan the barcode below to install the app.  Check it out and let us know what you think!

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  • MacLife Magazine Reviews the ‘Droid.



    Being a person who drank the kool aid that Apple is selling, I am a lover of Mac computers.  One of the publications that I receive at home regularly is MacLife, a rag dedicated to, you guessed, all things Mac.  I opened the February issue and was intrigued to find that the staff of MacLife had dedicated a section to a review of the Verizon Droid.

    I was intrigued because a major Mac publication was giving an Android device some precious page space.  Not to mention the time to reviewing a product that has nothing to do with the focus of their publication.

    The review itself, which may not surprise you, said the Verizon Droid was not that great of a handset.  I beg to differ of course, but what less can we expect from a publication that is lock, stock and barrel for the iPhone?  Not much more.

    Why is this important for the Android Army?  Because it shows that Apple fanboys are taking notice that Android is becoming something that people are choosing to use instead of the iPhone.  It shows that Android is a real threat now, and the industry as a whole is waking up.

    If you have opportunity, check the review out in the latest edition of MacLife.  Have a good chuckle at the criticisms of the Droid, then smile because it sounds so much like Apple fanboy’s barking at something they fear just a bit.

  • Nexus One Does Not Support WiFi N (For the Time Being)

    Recently, Google changed the specs listed on the Nexus One sales site, eliminating WiFi N from the list of available drafts supported by the superphone.  This change reflects what HTC is listing as the official specifications for the handset.  It seems that the Nexus One does have an N capable radio in different strip searches people have done of the hardware.  Perhaps we will see an Appl-esque move like they did with Macbook pro’s to enable the N capable radio’s down the line with a firmware update.

    I think it is safe to expect that if there is a N capable radio inside the unit, that Google will activate it at some time.  Until then, Nexus users will be stuck with plain ol’  b/g.


  • CES 2010: Two China Only Android Handsets Demo’ed

    Attendees of last week’s CES were able to get some hands on time with two previously rumored handsets from Motorola that are, as of now, heading to China.  Both the Motorola Zeppelin and the Moto MT710 were available for demo, and we have read impressions of both units from attendees.

    The Moto MT710 runs on China’s Ophone, a custom skinned version of Android, which according to reports really changes the look and feel of the platform as we know it here in the states.  Reports are saying that the phone is very well made and feels good in the hand.  If you are interested in the specs of the unit, you can read about them here. What is interesting about the unit itself is that it comes with a stylus for input, which means a resistive touch screen was necessary for the unit.  We are hearing the reason for this is that the stylus makes it easier to draw chinese characters.  It is a good looking unit, but I don’t think we would ever see it come stateside, and if for some reason it did, the stylus interaction would stymie the sales.  We are a touch culture in our mobile devices now, we have left the stylus behind.

    Now, the Motorola Zeppelin, or XT800 is a handset that CES attendees are very impressed with, and would like to see come to the US.  Read the full specs of the unit here. The XT800 is a pebble shaped device that looks really gorgeous and flowing, with a 3.7 inch touchscreen.  The phone has an HDMI output for watching your content on high def monitors, and is a dual-sim phone.  Dual-sim allows a user to have two sim cards inside one phone, allowing them to use the same phone for business and personal use.  So basically, you can have to separate numbers for the same phone, pretty snazzy, not sure if I would use that function with the advent of Google voice, but it sure does excite the geekiness in me.  The rest of the specs seem pretty standard for a phone of this type, 5mp camera, wifi, 3g, gps, video recording.  One item of note is that it can record 720p HD video, and play that back through the aforementioned HDMI output.

    Every person that actually saw this phone and wrote about it said that it is a sweet unit and would be an awesome addition to the Android family here in the states.  Here’s to hoping we will see this kind of awesomeness here in the US someday soon.


  • Analyst Predicts 5 to 6 Million Nexus One Phones Sold in First Year

    It seems that market analysts are seeing the Nexus One as a major step forward for Google in the smartphone market.  Doug Anmuth of Barclay Capital is predicting that the search giant will move 5 to 6 MILLION Nexus One Handsets in 2010.  Let’s put this into perspective here.

    • Motorola’s 2010 smartphone shipments are expected to be around 13 million units.  The projection from Anmuth puts Nexus One sales at just under HALF of Motorola’s projections.
    • The iPhone’s projected sales for 2010 is 36 million according to Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray.  While the Nexus One projections are nowhere near this number, this new projection shows how much more of a foothold Google has gotten with Android when compared to the G1 launch sales in 2008.  The G1 sold about 1 million in it’s launch year, making it the 5th best selling smartphone that year.  If the Nexus One sells 6 million, it will be the best Android Powered handset launch to date, and will give Google a revenue of $2.6 BILLION.

    If this projection is right, Google will sell 16% of what Apple is projected to sell of their iPhone handset.  While this number seems small when you first look at it, it actually marks a rather large increase against iPhone sales for an Android phone.  Now, projections are just educated guesses, but it shows a promising future for the Nexus One and Google.

    Google is not known as a retailer, but this launch is placing them directly in the middle of the Smartphone melee, and builds much needed momentum for the platform.  Exciting times for Android lovers everywhere!


  • The Android Army is Rising

    In a humorous article from David Pogue of the New York Times, it seems that the “Android Army” is rising to meet any naysaying about the Nexus One or the Android platform with fanboyesque flames of their own.  It seems Pogue wrote a review of the Nexus One and pointed out a few of the flaws that he saw in the phone, and IMMEDIATELY started receiving feedback from people that did not paint him in a great light.

    Here are the few of the quotes he got;

    • “It’s ridiculous that you dinged the N1 for not having a physical ringer switch. Millions of phones have no ringer switches and they manage just fine.”
    • “You are an idiot. You write that only 190 MB is available for holding apps, but I hear that Google is planning to fix that in software next year.”
    • “You write that the Nexus One doesn’t have a multi-touch screen, but it does; Google just didn’t enable it. You should be fired for your incompetence.”

    Now I have read the initial article that Pogue wrote, and I actually found it to be a pretty positive review of the handset, simply pointing out some things that were missing from the handset that would have made it that much better.  So it does surprise me that he got these kinds of flames.  As I was reading the article, I was thinking to myself that these comments sound like they were coming from Apple fanboys, and I chuckled out loud when Pogue comes to the same conclusion.  I really did not see any reason for the hate he got, but Pogue goes on to talk about how he is hearing these same kinds of responses at CES 2010, and so are other tech writers.

    “I’m at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, and I found myself in conversation with editors from tech blogs Gizmodo, Engagdget and Gdgt. To my amazement, all three had noticed exactly the same thing: that the Android Army is amassing, and they don’t mince words.”, writes Pogue.

    He goes on to speculate as to why the Android Army is so volatile,

    “Popular theories: Maybe it’s because Google has just become an electronics maker for the first time.

    Maybe it’s the Nook Effect: a product’s advance hype becomes so intense that when it finally arrives, and it’s a letdown, people feel betrayed and angry.

    The most plausible theory, though, is that Google’s Android phone software is a more open and hackable operating system than the proprietary software on the iPhone, BlackBerry or Palm. Therefore, Android appeals to precisely the sort of frustrated, anti-establishment people who have no trouble writing abusive notes. It brings them out of the woodwork, gives them a new counterculture champion.”

    I am not sure I agree with Pogue on any of his reasons for the Android Army, I think it more falls to the Underdog nature of the platform.  Since it’s launch, it has been seen as the alternative to the iPhone, and as such is seen as a Little Mac taking on Mike Tyson in the old Nintendo game, Punch-Out!.

    Whatever the cause, it seems that the Android Army has been gaining soldiers, and those soldiers are loyal to a fault.  Long live Android!


  • CES 2010 Quickie: Google’s Andy Rubin Comments on Multi-Touch

    An Engadget reporter had opportunity at CES to talk with Andy Rubin of Google about the lack of Muli-Touch support on the Nexus One.  You can read the full article here, but here is the direct quote Engadget received:

    “”You call this a superphone — 3.7-inch capacitive display, but no keyboard and no multitouch. Yet it has multitouch outside the US. Why not America?”

    Andy’s reply:

    “It’s not an America versus outside America kind of thing. It’s a decision that is a result of the OEM model. I personally don’t like two-handed operations… there is no conspiracy.””
    It is an interesting statement from Rubin, and we agree with Engadget’s assessment.  We sure hope that Google did not let this guy make a solo decision about the fate of multi-touch on the Nexus One.  It is also interesting since it is being reported that the European version of the Nexus One is shipping with some built in multitouch enabled.
    Either way, I for one LIKE multi-touch operations, in all areas of life.  Others prefer double tap, and still more don’t care.  Where are you?


  • PixelPipe Updates Android App

    If you are a user of PixelPipe, you will be happy to know that they have recently upgraded their Android App to allow one click publishing pictures taken from your in-phone camera.  Simply put, they have streamlined the services provided.

    When you take a picture, PixelPipe will now give you a menu right away to add a title, caption and tags to the image, then allow you to pick which social networks you want to upload the image to.

    Also included in this update is the ability to publish ALL images taken automatically in the background after they have been taken.  (I can see some problems with this, embarrassing problems heh).

    In additional news, the Washington Post reported that the CEO of PixelPipe says that their Android App is the most popular app by far when compared to the other platforms they have the program out for.  Pixelpipe says it has more new users per day coming from Android than any of the other platforms, and saw a noticeable rise in this stat after the launch of the Droid.  It will be interesting to see what the Nexus One does to the user base.

    PixelPipe is an app that allows you to syndicate text, audio, video and image files to 120 different social networks, blogs and sites.  If you have not tried it as of yet, give it a shot.  The barcode for download is included below.


  • CES 2010: Inbrics to Unveil MID M1

    Inbrics is set to unveil their Android powered MID (mobile internet device) at CES 2010.  Information is scarce about the unit, but here is what we know:

    • 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screen with a rsolution of 800×480
    • 833 MHz Cortex A-8 processor
    • Good connectivity options, WiFi N, Bluetooth, 3G or WiMAX
    • TWO cameras, the back camera sporting 3 megapixels.  The front camera is VGA.  Video conferencing anyone?
    • 16GB! of internal storage with a micro SD expansion slot.  Very cool to be able to hold a large amount of media.
    • You can dock this phone with an HDMI attachment to feed the video to your high def television.
    • VoIP capable.  Oh how I wish Google voice would go VoIP
    • Tablet style layout, which is not something surprising but it’s a spec.  Meh.

    It seems that Inbrics is trying to create a super converged device that will act like a home phone with VoIP, then when you leave your WiFi area switch over to using the cellular radio.  Interesting idea and one that I would really like to see in action.   Inbrics said in their press release that they were looking to provide a home web station, allowing you to interconnect with all your other devices, and becoming a hub for your media and communications.

    There is not much more info out there about this unit, there is no carrier relationship to announce as Inbrics is shopping around for suitors.  The rep from Inbrics has been quoted saying that it SHOULD hit America sometime in 2010, but no carrier was announced.  They do have relationships with several different companies, so I am sure we will see forward progress on that in the future.

    Overall impression on the phone from the little info we have is that it seems like a multimedia machine.  It is going to have a custom UI like Motoblur, which will be geared towards utilizing the cameras and web connectivity.  I like the fact that it has a good size storage, with more expansion capabilities, and the two cameras is something that I have been thirsting for to do video chats.  The processor leaves a lot to be desired, especially since they are touting this as a multimedia hub.  The ability to dock with an HDMI connection is interesting, but not sure how much of a selling point it will be.

    All in all, I think it is an interesting handset that has some potential, whether or not it will do well in our smartphone market here in America is yet to be seen.

    Source: TMCnet


  • CES 2010: Twonkymedia Goes Mobile with Android App!

    One of the many hassles with digital media is always trying to get your content such as pictures and videos off of your phone,  out, about and useful.  Sure uploading to YouTube or Facebook is cool, but a lot of the time you want to get those items out at home for personal use.  Or how about the other headache and constant struggle to untether the content that you own from the boxes they are stored on, allowing sharing of YOUR media anywhere in your home?  If you have ever tried that, you know it can be a headache.

    Well, not anymore for Android users!  PacketVideo, the makers of Twonkymedia have announced at CES 2010 a free, mobile version of their media gateway server.  The app is going to allow Android users to have the ability to stream media from their handsets to other devices on their home networks, and vice versa!  Freedom for your media at your grubby little Android powered finger tips!  Imagine having the ability to watch a video you took with your brand spanking new Nexus One on your big screen plasma at home with all your friends with the touch of a button.  Entirely possible with the Twonkymedia app.

    The Android app works in conjunction with the Twonkymedia server application which runs on Windows boxes as well as Mac’s and Linux builds.  The home version costs a VERY reasonable $29.95, and is worth looking at.  It covers a LARGE number of devices, and allows you to stream media all over your house.  Granted, it is possible to do this without a program if you are a tech guru, but with something that is written and geared for media sharing like this program, it may be worth it to not have to hassle with the guesswork.

    Since the Android app is free, it is worth taking a look at and seeing if it fits your needs!

    Twonkyserver Mobile is the name of the app and is available right now for download from the Market.  Use the barcode below to scan and download right now.


  • Slacker Radio Announces Addition of ABC News

    Everyone’s favorite Slacker is at it again.  Slacker Radio announced last night that it is partnering up with ABC News to “provide listeners with updated news from one of the nation’s most trusted sources.”  This is good news for Android users as Slacker launched their app on the Android Market last November.

    Users of Slacker Radio will have access to ABC news some time in early 2010.  This ABC news content will be available for all, with free membership users having a trial period to experience the content whereas Slacker Plus subscribers will have full access at launch.

    This means that all your ABC News favorites like Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos are going to be available to listen to, giving you news and analysis of breaking issues around the country and the world.  Good Morning America and Nightline are also going to get into the mix with some segments that will be available for users to listen to.

    A Slacker Radio Plus subscription can be had for as low as $3.99 a month, and with ABC being added in, it does increase the value of a plus membership.  If you are a newsaholic that likes to have all forms of media hitting you with the latest news, take a look at what Slacker is offering here.

    ABC News is even going to allow users to skip segments like they would songs, to allow them to personalize their experience by tailoring what they want to hear about.

    This could be seen as a big step forward for Internet based radio, having a major news conglomerate integrate with a service like Slacker shows that people are taking notice that end users LIKE using services like Slacker and Pandora to get their content.

    If you have not downloaded the slacker app for your Android phone, here is the barcode, give it a try!

    Scan this to download Slacker Radio


  • OnStar and Chevy Gives Android Users Mobile Control of Volt

    One of the cooler software announcements to already come out of CES 2010 is from Chevy and OnStar regarding the upcoming 2011 Chevy Volt, their all electric vehicle.  The new Android-based application gives Volt owners added control over their vehicles with options like monitoring charging status, unlocking doors, and more.   There have been rumors for some time that these types of applications would be coming but now those rumors have been confirmed with their unveiling at CES 2010. 

    Aside from Android, the app is being released for the Blackberry and iPhone platforms.  With the app, an Android user will be able to monitor the car’s charging status, delay said status until electric rates lower, and even be able to unlock the doors, beep the horn and start the vehicle up.  Users will also be able to access driving stats on their handsets as well.

    Notice that we mentioned that OnStar was part of this deal?  Well, that would probably lead you to assume that you must be an OnStar member to use this app, and you would be correct.  So there is certainly a thought process there if you want that membership.  Most dealerships give new car buyers a trial membership which of course pushes over to a full membership after the trial expires.

    Still, pretty cool tech, I can see myself converting the vehicle to look like the batmobile and doing sweet things with my Android handset.  How long until we can drive our cars through our Android powered phones?


  • CES 2010: HP’s Concept Android-Powered Netbook

    Fresh out of Vegas,  Engadget is reporting on an HP Mini Android Netbook. The unit is is powered by a Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm and is running an active installation of Android (1.5 or 1.6) with a 10 inch touch responsive screen to interact with the platform.

    While fanboys may rejoice over this (me being one of them), the Engadget reviewer gives the impression that the unit was simply vanilla, and said that there is a lot of work to be done with it still.  This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but this is merely a concept device.

    I for one am excited to see hardware developers taking Android seriously, and would love to see some slick netbooks running our beloved Android.