What Android fans think of iPhone users

iPhone fanboys are status-seeking, ignorant sheep brainwashed by Apple marketing, according to some Android users. Is that view accurate?

I've noticed a curious thing about some Android users. They have very strong and surprising opinions about people who choose iPhones.

Whenever I post something about phones, or engage in an online conversation about iPhones, I can always count on these opinions surfacing. I don't notice a strong wave of posts in the other direction during conversations about Android devices.

It's not just that Android users and iPhone users each have their preferred phones. Many Android fans think the decision to buy an iPhone is an error, and that if everyone was clear-thinking, objective and informed, they would choose Android.

It's a strange phenomenon. And I really wanted to understand it better. So I asked my Android-loving friends on Google+ a very simple question: Why do people buy iPhones?

In less than eight hours, they had maxed out Google+'s 500-comment limit. Boy did I get an earful. Here's why people buy iPhones, according to Android fans:

The iPhone is a status symbol. iPhone buyers are attracted to the Applebrand as a prestigious status symbol or fashion accessory, for the same reasons people like Rolex watches or Gucci bags.

The iPhone is a smart phone for dumb users. The iPhone is supposed to be easy to use, so novices are attracted to it for that reason.

iPhone users are ignorant. iPhone buyers don't know what Android phones are capable of, or how unnecessary iPhone limitations are.

iPhone users are suckered in by skillful marketing. iPhone users are brainwashed sheep, victims of Steve Jobs' reality distortion field. Product announcements, commercials, packaging, TV and movie product placements and other marketing campaigns by Apple have convinced users that it's a better phone. The iPhone's assumed superiority is marketing-driven perception.

The iPhone is the most popular phone and most recognizable brand.Some iPhone buyers want the biggest-selling phone for the same reason people go to Starbucks instead of the locally owned coffee shop or choose Nike shoes instead of a brand they've never heard of -- big brands and popular products are attractive for their own sake to some people.

The iPhone is associated with a famous person. Everyone knows who Steve Jobs was, and the founders of Google aren't as famous. Some people are attracted to products associated with a well-known person in a culture of celebrity worship. This effect has been magnified by Jobs' death and the media coverage that followed.

iPhone users will buy anything Apple sells. In the minds of iPhone users, the "halo effect" of other Apple products, including the iPod, carries over to the iPhone.

The iOS interface is familiar. Many people are already using Apple interfaces, with their home computers, iPod Touches, Apple TV systems oriPads, so an iPhone feels comfortable.

Wake-up Call for Android Manufacturers

While people were complaining about the Nexus One not getting updated for longer than 2 years, The Understatement blog tracked down every major and minor release of Android over the years and how the Android manufacturers handled it. And let me tell you, it’s not pretty. Compared to updates the other phones got, the Nexus One will look like is in its own league.

So who’s at fault here? Is it Google? You could certainly put some blame on them, too. They’ve made the bed they now sleep in. If they wouldn’t have compromised so much to allow for the fastest growth possible, they might’ve been able to force a few more restrictions on the manufacturers, to ensure a good upgrade experience with most Android phones. So I definitely think Google should’ve done a lot more to convince/force the manufacturers to upgrade all their phones and on time.

Is it the carriers? It definitely is sometimes – like when Samsung Galaxy S got its Android 2.3 update all over Europe, but it wasn’t available until months later in USA. Plus, the carriers forced Samsung to give them a slightly different version of the phone, too.

But I think everyone recognizes that the biggest blame will go to the manufacturers themselves. First of all, they don’t have much incentive or motivation to upgrade all their phones, because they know they’ve already made the sale, so keeping upgrading them, will cut into their profits. Of course, they should’ve thought of this before they tried to price their phones too low, or before they made the deals with carriers to sell them for less. They absolutely need to take into consideration upgrade costs into the future for all phone models.

And second, they are all spreading themselves too thin. Both Samsung and HTC are releasing a new phone every month now, that is slightly better than the previous one, but different enough to slow down the development team and the team in charge of upgrades. This means they will only focus on some phones, and only for a while. It’s a bad strategy not only because I believe this will end up commoditizing their hardware faster, but because it makes it a lot harder to support their own phones later, and they end up disappointing their customers in the process.

Not to mention that instead of at least leaving a gateway for customers to upgrade their phones with custom ROM’s, they try to lock them down, like how Motorola is doing, and they make it much harder for customers to upgrade it that way, too. So which is it, Motorola? Are you going to provide the updates yourself then? Hopefully, this will change with Google buying them, and they’ll start offering only stock Android phones from then on.

I’m also hoping that with Android 4.0, upgrading will be a lot easier for manufacturers, and we might see them faster and for more phones. But that’s only for new pho

[Download] Galaxy Nexus Full System Dump Including Boot, Recovery Image

Looks like there is more good news for perspective Galaxy Nexus owners as our pals over at MoDaCo has a little treat for us that many of you will be happy to see. We are getting access to a full system dump from the Galaxy Nexus’ ICL23D build.

There should be a little something for everyone: apps, ringtones and wallpapers for the basic users and everything else including the boot recovery images for you dev types. It’s very likely that this won’t be the build that makes it into retail devices but if it’s just the multimedia your after, there shouldn’t be an issue. Add this to the recently discovered root method and we’re all set! Hit the source below for details and download links.

Featured: Why Google Needs their Own Platform for Delivering Subscription Periodicals

Most people are aware of the subscription periodical options that are available on the iOS platform. If you aren’t familiar with it, users of iOS devices can subscribe to newspapers and magazines for delivery right on their device. Users get the content that they want and Apple gets their typical 30% cut of revenue.  Publishers have a lot of issues with the Apple way. No publisher can offer a subscription on an iPad unless they also offer an in-app subscription option. In-app purchasing is simple, secure and Apple makes giving your personal information to the publisher an option, so a great many users go that route. Every time an iOS device user buys a subscription this way Apple gets a 30% cut. They don’t create the content, they don’t deliver the content. They simply handle the subscription and are paid handsomely to do it.
On the Android platform there is no integrated method for handling these subscriptions, so a group of five publishers have teamed up to offer their own solution, called Next Issue Media. Calling it the “Hulu for magazines”, Time, Inc., Hearst, Conde Nast, Meredith, and News Corp have combined their efforts and created their own content delivery option for Android and soon for webOS as well.
Following the iOS model, Next Issue Media will keep a 30% cut of revenue, but that revenue will be split with the device maker (read as Next Issue Media will be crapware that you cannot remove from your phone) and the collective, so the publishers share will be higher than what is available on the iOS subscription platform.
That’s all good and fine for the publisher, but not for the subscribers because there is a huge built-in privacy concern with Next Issue Media; if you subscribe to a magazine through Next Issue Media the publisher gets your name, address, email address, phone number and credit card number as part of the deal. Make no mistake, that’s what the publishers are really after in this deal.

Magazines aren’t published to deliver great content

Magazines aren’t published to deliver great content. Just like newspapers, radio and TV, the space between ads is filled with great content to compel people to subscribe. The higher the subscriber numbers the more the publisher can charge for their main content and sole reason for publishing; advertising. The more that the publishers know about you, the higher the price for ads in their publications because those ads can be more targeted. Just ask Google about the value of highly targeted ads.
The problem for the subscriber comes to light when too many people get too much of your information. Using the Google method, Google does know a lot about you, but they keep it to themselves. An AdWords or DoubleClick ad publisher doesn’t get access to my name, address, email address, browsing history or anything else. I might hate ads, but at least Google isn’t handing out my credit card number.
A Google solution would be the ultimate answer to privacy concerns from users like me. Sell me my subscription through Android Market. Make sharing my name, address and email address optional, even if the option is yes by default, but for the love of all that is good and holy in the universe, don’t hand out my credit card number.
I’ve subscribed to the publication and the only place that needs to have my credit card number is the place that is charging me. The publisher of the magazine has no use for, nor right to having access to my credit card information. If subscriptions were offered through Android Market and if in-app subscriptions were required as they are on iOS most users would go that route, just like they do on iOS. In the end it is a more safe and secure option.
Step up here Google. If nothing is done to integrate magazine and newspaper subscriptions into Android Market then periodicals will become as fragmented as the OS is.

Featured: Forget dropping a pin in Google Maps, what about these little Annoyances?

There was this article at CNN.com a few weeks ago, and in reading it you can see that the author is really upset that Google Maps on her Android phone doesn’t allow you to set a location pin while Maps on iPhone does. She wrote 300 or so words bemoaning starring and My Maps on Android, ending with the typical “dead easy” comment that most iPhone owners (or former owners) like to use in one form or another when discussing a particular Android issue that they have.  My first reaction was that starring works for me, then I tried to move on. I tried, but I couldn’t.
I started to think about my three biggest issues with Android, issues that I’ve had from day one with my original Droid. Issues that, like dropping a pin on a map just aren’t all that big, but they really annoy me.

Issue #1 – Google Voice dialing
With the deep integration between Google Voice and Android why can’t I set a dialing option within the settings for each contact? You have some options that you can set for using Google Voice for outbound dialing:

• Use Google Voice to make all calls
• Do not use Google Voice to make any calls
• Only use Google Voice for international call
• Ask every time I make a call

Seems like they have every base covered right? Well, not to me. How about adding these options to the list:

• Use contact rules, dial with Google Voice for unknown numbers
• Use contact rules, do not dial with Google Voice for unknown numbers.
• Use contact rules, ask for unknown contacts

I use Google Voice the way that Grand Central intended it to be used when they created the service. For those of you that don’t know, Grand Central was the company that Google bought and morphed into the fabulous Google Voice. Anyway, GC always intended for you to have a GC number AND your mobile number. Those close to you have your actual cell number while everyone else got your GC number. For the last four years or so, that’s how I’ve done things.  I’d much rather spend the hour or so that it would take to go through all of my contacts and set a dialing preference once rather than my current setting; ask for each call. I’m well used to this now after nearly two years as an Android user, but Google Voice and my Thunderbolt would both be much more useful to me if I didn’t have to make this selection for each call that I place.

Issue #2 – No subscribed calendars in Android Calendar
I subscribe to several sports calendars for all of my favorite pro and college teams using the calendar feeds that Google provides. I really like these feeds for a few reasons. My Reds have had a few start times changed this year to accommodate national games. Google Calendar almost always reflects this start time change for you. It’s mattered to me because one game that I had tickets for earlier in the year had it’s start time moved up by three hours. I was in my seat on time thanks to Google Calendar.  I also like the fact that you get an accurate box score for each event, and finally extra inning or overtime games are scored properly. You also can check the channels that the game will be broadcast on as they are listed if known. That’s all very useful.
As great as these subscribed calendars can be, you can’t add them to Android calendar. You can’t see the scheduled event, you can’t get start time changes, see where the game will be broadcast and you don’t get the mostly accurate box score either.
When I got my OG Droid adding these subscribed calendars was a feature that was “coming soon”. Now, over a year and a half later; nothing. Not even a mention other than ‘sorry, can’t do that”.

Issue #3 – No proper Picasa app
Some of you might be really huge fans of the Android Gallery app, I am not.  I take a lot of pictures with my Thunderbolt. In just over two months with the phone I’ve taken nearly 3,000 pictures with it’s mostly acceptable 8MP camera. I had over 15,000 images taken with my OG Droid in just a little over a year of use. I take pictures of everything that I see that I think I may be interested in remembering down the road, and as a freelance photographer and Picasa storage subscriber I can say with some educated authority that the Gallery app sucks.
This whole faux 3D, rotating and spinning, angle morphing mess is totally unacceptable. Anyone that uses any type of software for a living will tell you that their ideal app is full of useful features, lacks distracting eye candy and focuses on getting it’s job done. Gallery is none of that.
I’d like a simple image browser that allows me to quickly view images, delete the junk and email in a clean interface. I’d also like separation between my phone images and Picasa galleries, not one gigantic list of folders.
I use JustPictures as a replacement for Gallery. It’s a clean application that focuses on core image browser features and not on stupid rotating and morphing background effects. It splits my gallery views into local and Picasa lists, it offers useful features for viewing and sharing images easily and it’s fast. Very fast.
JustPictures is also free of that annoying as hell Thunderbolt bug where some images taken with the camera aren’t displayed in either the totally lacking Sense Gallery app or in the Android Gallery app that you can download from Android Market. JustPictures shows everything.
The only thing that JustPictures doesn’t do for me is upload multiple images to Picasa Web Albums. I have to keep QuickPic around for that. I’m not sure why JustPictures doesn’t allow multi image uploads because the Picasa Uploader is a part of Android. They just don’t.
Conclusion
As great as Android is, it could always be much better. I’ve touched on my three daily gripes with my Thunderbolt, but there is even more. A longer list would have included things like:

• No full screen contact images on incoming calls
• No multiple account support in Google Voice app
• No browser sync to have desktop bookmarks on my device
• God awful Music app
• No dedicated video browser. Videos lumped with images. (I use Mobo Player to get around this oversight).

Every Android user can name at least a few things that they wish were different about, or available on their phone. It’s natural. While I have some issues with Android, many things can be rectified by buying an app or downloading a free one.
On the huge Android plus side, none of these things are “dead easy” on an iPhone. The iPhone music app is much better and it has full screen contact images for incoming calls, but all of my Android issues have to be added on to the endless list of iPhone head scratchers.
If you’ve got an Android gripe I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Android vs. iPhone and iPad: By the Numbers

It looks increasingly like Android will be the major challenger to both Apple's iPhone and iPad.
In the tablet market, Apple's iOS has a commanding lead, while Android is the only other OS that registers a market share in double digits. In the smartphone arena, there are other significant competitors, such as BlackBerry and Windows. However, BlackBerry market share is dropping, according to comScore's latest survey -- in fact, Apple surpassed RIM in comScore's April report -- while Microsoft has yet to make much of a dent.
How do Apple's iOS and Google's Android stack up head to head? We look at the numbers.

Tablet market share

Source: GartnerThe iPad held a commanding 83.9% of the worldwide tablet market last year, with Android tablets far behind at 14.2%, according to Gartner. Other stats show a similar healthy lead. For example, a recent Modelmetrics Web survey found 83% of respondents planning to roll out iPads in the enterprise and 34% with plans for Android tablets.
However, Gartner expects the market-share difference to narrow considerably over the next few years, with iOS holding 47.1% by 2015 and Android growing to 38.6%.
Bottom line: iOS should remain the market leader for the next few years, but Android is expected to grow considerably -- largely at Apple's expense.

Smartphone market share

Source: comScore MobiLens three-month average of US smartphone subscribers.Despite its reputation as a groundbreaking smartphone when first introduced in 2007, the iPhone doesn't have the market clout of the iPad. Apple has slightly more than a quarter of the U.S. smartphone market, according to a comScore MobiLens report, but IDC estimates just 15.7% of the global pie .
And some analysts expect the iPhone to slip worldwide in the coming years as both Android and Windows Phone gain traction. IDC predicts that Windows Phone will be the No. 2 OS behind Android worldwide by 2015, with iOS in third place.
Source: Calculations from data posted at Androphones.comLatest stats from comScore show that Android became the U.S. smartphone market leader early this year, overtaking Research In Motion's BlackBerry. The iPhone was third. Google said in April that there are now more than 350,000 Android smartphones activated every day.
Bottom line: Google's Android has done an impressive job of surpassing Apple in the smartphone market, despite the iPhone's early lead.

Available apps

Source: Lookout Mobile SecurityIt's arguable whether any user needs access to 350,000 apps (iOS) -- or even 88,000 (Android). What's key is whether the most important, compelling apps are available on a platform.
That's tough to measure, but the overall number of apps on a platform is a useful sign of how attractive it is for developers and how likely it is that new apps will be written for the platform.
Bottom line: Here, too, Apple has a major lead, but the Android market has become a significant player.

Conclusion overall

Apple has staked out a considerable lead in tablets -- a market with huge growth potential. Gartner forecasts media-tablet shipments will soar 17-fold: from 17 million units last year to 70 million this year and 294 million by 2015.
Even with Apple's share expected drop from 84% last year to 47% in 2015, that's an enormous new business for the company, with an estimated 138 million devices to ship in 2015. But Android may not be far behind at 39% and 113 million. Both iOS and Android are likely to be key players in "post-PC" mobile computing.
Worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to more than triple from 2010 to 2015, also according to Gartner. Android growth is forecast to jump from 67 million units shipped to 539 million as its market share more than doubles. Apple's global share will also rise but more modestly, from 47 million to 190 million units shipped and from 15.7% to 17.2%.
Here, Android looks like the clear winner -- although Apple may be helped by all those new iPad owners, some of whom may decide they want a phone with the same OS and apps as their tablet.

Acer Iconia W500 Windows tablet (hands-on)

Tablets are big news, but that usually means Apple's iPad, Android tablets, or even the BlackBerry Playbook. Windows, by far the largest operating system on consumer PCs, has been largely left out in the cold.

Acer Iconia W500 Windows tablet (photos)

It's ironic, as Windows tablets have been around for years, in the form of slates and convertible laptops with touch-screen lids that rotate and fold down over the keyboard. To date, none of these has been terribly successful, largely because they failed on both the software and hardware fronts. The Windows OS is simply not designed for fingertip (or even stylus) input, and the CPUs used to power most Windows tablets have been so underpowered as to make these devices mostly useless.
Stepping into the ring following the launch Apple's second-generation iPad is the Acer Iconia W500. Similar to Lenovo's (still MIA U1) Hybrid and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, the 10.1-inch W500 consists of a touch-screen slate and a separate keyboard dock. When combined, the two halves form something close to a traditional laptop. The W500 is $549 with Windows 7 Home Premium, or $619 with Windows 7 Professional. Both versions have 2GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD. Acer also has a dockless Android version, called the A500.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

In the case of the Acer W500, our initial impressions are of a series of good ideas, undone by half-baked physical design. After struggling with docking, undocking, and folding down the W500, it's clear that if any designers at Apple presented this product to Steve Jobs, they'd quickly find themselves reassigned as the night janitor at an Apple store in Siberia.
As a standalone slate, the W500 is actually better than average, based on our years of Windows tablet frustrations. Powered by AMD's 1GHz dual-core C-50 processor, the touch screen was responsive, and dragging a finger down the screen actually resulted in something close to satisfactory scrolling--a task many Windows tablets seem to especially have trouble with.

Taking a lesson from the 14-inch dual-screen Iconia laptop (which is really a very fun machine to play with), Acer includes a few custom tablet-oriented apps. As on the larger Iconia, tapping down with five fingertips on the screen brings up a jogwheel-like menu, which grants access to finger-friendly apps such as a social media browser and augmented Web browser. The TouchBrowser, as it's called, is easier to use than a standard Web browser, but like all the touch apps, it took forever to launch--a big letdown if you're used to iPad apps that launch almost instantaneously.
The separate keyboard dock has shallow but acceptable island-style keys, and a trackpoint for onscreen navigation. We'd much prefer a touch pad, even a tiny one, especially as the left and right mouse buttons for the trackpoint are so narrow and mounted right on the front lip of the keyboard dock. As the W500 lacks Bluetooth (a large omission for a tablet), the keyboard only works when connected to the tablet though its proprietary plug.
And therein lies the biggest problem with the Acer W500. When the screen and keyboard are connected, it looks much like any other 10-inch laptop. So much so, that it feels like you should be able to simply fold it shut, like any other clamshell design. But, you can't.

A close-up view of the instructions for detaching the screen and closing the clamshell.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

To close the system, you must pull the screen straight up, detaching it from the keyboard, and then close a flap on the keyboard dock that covers the docking connection. From there, the screen is placed on top of the keyboard, face down, where a small magnet in one corner holds it in place (sort of). Finally, a physical latch on the front lip of the dock has to get pushed into place. After all that, you have something that looks pretty much like a closed laptop, although if it's not handled exactly right, the two halves will come apart.
To take the closed system and convert it back to a faux laptop, the steps must be reversed, which is, if that's even possible, a more awkward exercise. It also means the system is literally impossible to either open or close one-handed.
Taken apart from its dock, the slate part of the W500 works about as well, if not better, than other Windows tablets we've tested over the years. Even with the low-power processor, we were able to stream Netflix video and scroll through Web pages with a minimum of stuttering. Using the built-in Windows onscreen keyboard, however, remains a challenge.
This post represents our initial hands-on impressions after unboxing and using the system for several hours. We're currently running the Acer Iconia W500 through our standard benchmark tests, so check back for more on performance, battery life, and a full review.

Google Earth trots onto Android-based tablets

Google Earth has been going places and that too,quiteliterally. Allowing tech enthusiasts to traverse across diverse locations on the planet with a few clicks, the software seems pretty popular amongst adventures.

With the soaring popularity of tablets, the company has now optimized Google Earth for Android to deliver a seamless trotting experience on multifarious digital slates, reports a post on the official Google Mobile blog.
Google Earth for Android-powered tablets is said to paint refined and fully textured 3D images on their screens. It will infuse a new action bar at the top of the display which renders easy access to search. This bar is also expected to stretch out the ‘fly to your location’ option with layers such as Wikipedia, Panoramio photos, Places and 3D buildings.
The aforesaid introductions have been touted to offer higher levels of gratification, facilitating users to fly across a landmark location even as they browse through Panoramio photos. It has been stated that the visuals pop up within the imagery for ensuring seamless a trip for users. This feature makes it possible for them to move back and forth between pages.
This version of Google Earth for Android is compatible with tablets powered by Éclair and above. Besides, the new tablet design has been crafted for Honeycomb-enabled devices.

Motorola XPRT, Titanium Android Phones for Businesses: Sprint

Sprint introduced the Motorola XPRT and Titanium Android smartphones, which are designed for business and world travelers. Both have touch-screens and full QWERTY keyboards.

Sprint May 5 introduced two new Android smartphones, the Motorola XPRT and Motorola Titanium, the successor to the rugged Motorola i1 that Sprint rolled out last year.

Designed explicitly for business travelers, the smartphones are departures from Sprint's recent Android-based phone fare, which include the Kyocera Echo, whose dual screens lent themselves well to multimedia consumption, and the Samsung Nexus S 4G smartphone, which is coming May 8.

Powered by a 1GHz processor, the Android 2.2-based Motorola XPRT sports a 3.1-inch HVGA (half-size VGA) display that won't be mistaken for the quarter high-definition touch-screen of the Motorola Atrix 4G. However, users may still choose to browse the Web on the XPRT's display and enjoy full pinch-to-zoom capabilities.

Others may prefer the XPRT's full QWERTY keyboard, which is important for many workers accustomed to texting from a Research In Motion Blackberry or some other keyboard-dominant device while traveling.

Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for corporate and personal email are supported by the XPRT, which also has a 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and a 2GB memory card, expandable up to 32GB.

Following Verizon Wireless' Motorola Droid Pro, the XPRT includes not only 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption but IT administrative controls, such as remote pin and password locks, password recovery and data wipes.

The phone supports Code Division Multiple Access (Evolution-Data Optimized Revision A), GSM/UMTS (High-Speed Packet Access) for international roaming in over 200 countries, and has a 1,860-mAh lithium-ion battery, and allows access to Sprint's 3G mobile hotspot for connecting up to 5 WiFi-enabled computing gadgets.

Sprint will begin selling Motorola XPRT June 5, in Sprint stores, online, and by phone and business sales for $129.99 with a two-year service contract. The XPRT requires Sprint's Everything Data plans, which start at $69.99 plus a $10 premium data surcharge for smartphones.

The Sprint Worldwide Voice add-on for $4.99 a month will entitle subscribers to discounted rates in more than 100 countries.

The Android 2.1-based Motorola Titanium leverages Sprint's "sub-second" push-to-talk capabilities. Like the XPRT, the Titanium has a 3.2-inch touch-screen and a full QWERY keyboard.

Following in the footsteps of its Android 1.5-based Motorola i1 predecessor, the Titanium is certified to Military Specification 810G for dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, and high and low temperatures.

There is as yet no pricing or availability information for the Motorola Titanium, which also has a 5MP camera, a microSD slot with a 2GB memory card, expandable to 32GB and a 1,820-mAh lithium ion battery.

 

Android alternatives to iPad 2

THE much-anticipated iPad 2 finally came to Singapore last week. However, while the Apple tablet hogged the limelight, a number of equally interesting and feature-rich tablets based on the Android OS have also been launched.
At the top of the heap are the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and the Motorola Xoom, both 10.1-inch tablets with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), followed by the Sony S1 and S2 tablets, and, finally, the HTC Flyer. The Iconia Tab A500 and the Xoom have many common features. Both are powered by dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 CPUs and come with 32GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM.
Both are Wi-Fi-only devices, although the Xoom has a 3G version which is not yet available here. The webcam and the camera are 2-megapixel and 5-megapixel respectively. The screen resolution of both tablets is 1280x800.
However, the A500 has a sharper screen and a functional microSD slot, whereas the Xoom's microSD slot will work only after a software upgrade, which is currently not available.
The A500 also seems faster and has a cleaner and neater design. But the Xoom appears to be more sturdily constructed. It is also lighter and has a longer battery life.
Price-wise, the A500 comes out ahead as it is about $90 cheaper. So, which tablet should one choose?
Motorola, after winning accolades at the International Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, has not followed through with important software upgrades, like the microSD functionality. Small wonder that the Xoom did not sell well in the United States.
Acer, in contrast, seems to be more on top of things. It shipped its product with all the important features ready.
One point to note is that Honeycomb is a new version of the Android OS, so there are few applications in the Android Market tailored for it. For example, a video player like Vital Player (available for Android 2.2 devices) does not work on Honeycomb devices.
Unlike the 10.1-inch tablets, HTC's Flyer uses Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The 7-inch Flyer has a pen-and-touch user interface. It is unclear which market segment HTC is targeting - smartphone users who want more features or tablet adopters who seek full multimedia functionality.
There is little doubt that 7-inch devices are more portable and usable - such as Samsung's Galaxy Tab, the best Android tablet in that category - but, at the same time, the tablet market seems to be moving towards 10-inch devices and the Honeycomb OS.
Meanwhile, Sony's S1 is optimised for rich media entertainment, while the S2 is tailored for mobile communication and entertainment. Both tablets are compatible with Wi-Fi and 3G/4G, and use Android 3.0.
The S1 has a 9.4-inch display and the S2 has two 5.5-inch displays which can be folded like a book. The dual screens can be combined and used as a large screen or used separately for different applications.
How much: Motorola ($888), HTC ($1,068), Acer ($799), Sony (price not announced).

Spice to launch dual SIM Android phone

Spice Mobility, which is focusing on internet ready mobiles, will launch India's first dual SIM Android phone this week.
Dilip Modi, managing director, Spice Mobility, said to 'The Mobile Indian', "In this week we will launch MI 270, India's first Android based dual SIM phone. It will have a number of pre-loaded free applications to address the digital lifestyle of youth, and it will be priced at around Rs 9,000."
He further said, "MI 270 will be a dual camera phone based on Android 2.1. It will have a 3.7 inch capacitive screen. The phone will have a chipset from Media Tek and will have processor speed of 600 MHz."
The new device is to be available across the country at Spice Hotspots and other retail chains.
Meanwhile, Spice Mobility plans to provide affordable Android devices to Indian consumers to surf the net. At present, around 27 per cent of total mobile users in India use the internet on their handsets and by 2015 the figure will have swollen to around 75 per cent.
Currently, Spice has two Android devices, Spice Mi-300 and Spice Mi-310.
Mi-300 is an Android 2.1 based phone with an 8 cm capacitive touchscreen. It has support for 3.5G and HSPA. The handset has a 5 mega pixel camera, Wifi, GPS and AGPS. It also has Google messaging service with push mail.
Spice Mi-310 is based on Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system. The touchscreen phone has GPS, AGPS and Wifi hotspot functionality that can support up to five Wifi enabled devices.

The dual camera phone will be based on Android 2.1, with a 3.7 inch capacitive screen, and it will be powered by a 600 MHz processor.

Its looks will kill

The Xperia Arc is a premium Google Android handset by Sony Ericsson that’s built to compete with the likes of HTC’s Incredible S and the Samsung-Google co-branded Nexus S cell phones. Though dual-core devices like Samsung’s Galaxy S II and HTC’s Sensation are almost upon the Indian market, the Arc

and its ilk are currently the best Android phones available worldwide.

The Arc is a stylish phone that’s impressively slim. The curved back is well designed and fits comfortably in the hands. Wrapping your fingers around the phone is as comfortable as curling them around your favourite pint of beer. The fact that we don’t say that about most cell phones says a lot about this Xperia.

The front side sports a huge 4.2-inch capacitive touchscreen that sports a resolution of 854x480 pixels. SE prefers to call this feature a ‘Reality Display’. In terms of screen clarity, it’s a bit short of the iPhone’s ‘Retina Display’ at 960x640, but the difference isn’t drastic. Besides, the larger real estate on the Arc makes all the difference as far as utility value is concerned.

Three buttons at the base of the screen let you step backward, and invoke the application and right-click menus. They’re perfect for finding your way around the interface, firing up applications and changing settings. However, buttons are too tiny for comfort and inconvenient to use in the dark.

HDMI equipped
The top of the phone sports a micro-HDMI output, and there’s a stereo output (with microphone support) on the left. The power on/off at the top is also pint-sized and difficult to access. Thankfully, you won’t be using it much except to lock the screen or restart the device. The second biggest feature on the Arc is that it comes preloaded with the latest version of the Android operating system – v2.3 aka Gingerbread. The OS features a better user interface compared to its predecessor v2.2 Froyo, a more intuitive and accurate text input via the virtual keyboard and better copy-paste functionality amongst other features.

Overview mode
Sony’s little improvements also make a significant difference. For instance, there are five homescreens available where you can pin your favourite applications. You can even add live widgets for Facebook, Twitter and the like, which will instantaneously show new updates as long as you’re connected to the Internet. However, expect battery life to get reduced and be very careful if you’re using a limited data plan. The photos widget on the homescreen is quite convenient – you can choose to display photo albums of your choice and rotate through your pictures directly from the homescreen. There’s also an overview feature that lets you pinch the entire screen to show all five homescreens at once. It’s something like the Expose feature on Mac OS X 10.5 onwards.

The large screen is great for surfing the web and viewing multimedia. The mobile browser works well and can display Flash websites too. But it’s the camera on this device that’s the real deal. With Sony’s Exmor R image sensor, the Arc can capture images at 8.1 megapixels and record video in high definition (720p). Photo quality is very good. Images are sharp and with balanced colours even in low lighting. Videos too are crisp and detailed. You can also adjust a host of settings, including the white balance, exposure and metering. You can even tap the screen to focus on an area or click a photo. The only fly in the ointment is the badly placed shutter button on the lower right of the device.

Samsung, AT&T to Host NYC Event - Next Phone to Be Announced?

It seems that a wave of invitations just went out for an event in NYC on May 5, to be hosted jointly by Samsung and AT&T. The invitations themselves don’t give away any detail about what they’ll be announcing, leaving us all to speculate about what phone they’ll be promoting.

For now, the smart money appears to be on the Infuse 4G, Samsung’s next super-phone, which has already passed the FCC test (as well as its loose release date of April 2011). But there’s also speculation that the announcement will be about the Nexus S “Pure Google phone” branded for AT&T.

Your thoughts?

Breaking News:Thew New Droid Bionic With An Improved Form Factor

“New” Droid Bionic Arriving This Summer

We reported earlier today that the Droid Bionic was being removed from the Motorola website as proof that it may in fact be cancelled. There have been countless rumors, however the one with the most credibility is about the Bionic being delayed because of performance issues. Motorola then announced it would be delayed until summer so they could add enhancements to ensure it keeps its phone of the year status.

Improved Form Factor

As of today the Droid Bionic has been completely removed from Motorola’s site except for the above page which is Motorola’s press statement about the delay. The page speaks about the “NEW” Bionic so excuse the date which is of the original Bionic announcement as this clearly speaks of the enhanced version.

Motorola’s Statement:

Based on compelling feedback since the show, we are incorporating several enhancements to make this an even better consumer experience. This includes expanded features, functionality and an improved form factor. Motorola Mobility and Verizon Wireless are very excited about bringing the ‘new’ DROID BIONIC to market.

New Droid Bionic

The release states that Motorola is planning something big with the Droid Bionic that they do release this summer. In order for them to have success like the original Droid it is going to have to be a device along the lines of the rumored Targa. It would be the first quad-core device by months and would provide the hit Motorola is looking for.
It is safe to say the Bionic as we know it doesn’t exist anymore which is bad news for those on Verizon looking to upgrade in the immediate future. However I for one am excited to see what Motorola finally releases and hope that it lives up to the Hype. Only they know what exactly is meant by new form factor, but that wont stop everyone from putting in their 2 cents on what it may be. So go ahead and tell us what you think the new Droid Bionic will be once it’s released this summer in the comment section below.

Finally, a hot selling Honeycomb tablet

 

The highly anticipated Asus Eee Pad Transformer appears to be the first real Honeycomb tablet home run. Best Buy online and my local Best Buy stores were out of stock on the new device by the time that I got out of bed this morning and it seems to be a trend around the country.  Calling around to the Best Buy stores in my neighborhood I was told that there was no word on when stores would get new stock. BestBuy.com was showing that orders would ship in 1-2 weeks but now says to “check back later”.
It’s not really a surprise as this is the first Honeycomb tablet that delivers great hardware but comes in below the magic $400 price point for the 16GB model. In case you aren’t familiar with it yet, here are the key hardware specs.

• 10.1” WXGA 1280×800 IPS screen.
• Nvidia Tegra 2
• 16GB/32GB
• 1GB RAM
• 1.2MP front/5MP rear camera
• SRS Premium Sound w/ stereo speakers
• 9.5 hour battery life. 16 hours w/dock.

If you intend to get one accessory for this tablet then it simply has to be the keyboard dock that transforms (get it) this tablet into a 10.1” netbook. You not only get the benefit of a full size keyboard you also get nearly double the battery life and USB inputs.

Keep your eye on Best Buy and bestbuy.com if this tablet is high on your list. If Europe is any indication this tablet will be in high demand for some time.

Will the HTC Flyer be landing as soon as July?

Our buddies over at TmoNews received a tip that the HTC Flyer will be landing at T-mobile, as early as July 6^th. Now keep in mind when dates are set this soon they are definitely subject to change. So don’t write that down in ink.

This 7in. tablet is already expected to be available this spring at Best Buy for $499 without a contract. So it may be easier to purchase this device under a two-year contract, if you’re into that sort of thing. Do you think T-mo will change its marketing and brand the tablet under the My Touch line. It can even become T-mo’s answer to Sprint’s upcoming HTC Evo View 4g. Mind you this is pure speculation on my part. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Here are some specs to remind you what Flyer is rocking:

• Two cameras: rear (5MP) and front (1.3MP) that support video chat
• 7″ touch screen (1024 x 600 TFT) that takes input from fingers or optional digital pen
• Wi-Fi capability (802.11 b/g/n)
• Android operating system with access to apps from Android Market
• Adobe Flash support
• Bluetooth 3.0 with stereo headsets lets you enjoy music and movies wirelessly
• Output to larger screens enabled through MHL port and DLNA capability
• SRS WOW HD surround sound delivers audio over the dual speakers or through headphones
• 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor provides ample power
• 16GB internal memory with expansion through microSD slot
• Sensors include: G-sensor, GPS/aGPS, digital compass, ambient light sensor

Android app allows scanning, editing in Google Docs

Users of Google's Android smartphone can now access their Google Docs files such as documents and spreadsheets, thanks to a new app from the search king.

But that's not all: Google said the Docs app not only allows one to upload content from one's phone and open documents directly from Gmail, but also allows their smartphone to scan documents and make them editable.

"You can also add a widget to your home screen for easy access to three core tasks: jumping to your starred documents, taking a photo to upload, or creating a new document with one tap," software engineer Reuben Kan said in a blog post.

Optical character recognition

Kan said that the app even uses the phone’s camera to turn photos with text into editable Google documents with the power of optical character recognition (OCR).

He said OCR does a "pretty good job" capturing unformatted text in English although it may not recognize handwriting or some fonts for now.

"Just create a new ‘Document from Photo' or select the camera icon from the widget, and your converted document will appear in your documents list shortly after you snap the picture. You can also convert photos already stored on your phone by sharing them with the Google Docs app," he said.

Mobile usage on the rise

Kan said people are increasingly using mobile phones to access information, from email to web browsing to editing documents.

Part of getting work done on the go is being able to easily access, edit and share content, he noted

"With this new app it’s easy to filter and search for your content across any Google account, then jump straight into editing docs using the online mobile editors. The app also allows you to easily share items with contacts on your phone, right from within the app," he said.

The Google Docs app is currently available in English and works on Android 2.1+ phones

New Verizon Casio Android Smartphone Ruggedized for Hospital Use

Casio and Verizon Wireless have announced the G'zOne Commando rugged Android 2.2 smartphone primed to withstand working environments such as hospitals, construction sites and factory floors.

Casio and Verizon Wireless have introduced a rugged Android 2.2 touch-screen smartphone suitable for harsh working environments in verticals such as health care, construction, retail, manufacturing and transportation.

The G'zOne Commando conforms to the rugged MIL-STD-810G military standard for durability.

Its 1mm-thick tough glass and bumper edges allow the unit to withstand some drops, and the unit can survive temperature extremes ranging from 185 degrees to -13 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 96 hours.

The device can also handle environmental conditions such as heavy dust, salt fog, solar radiation, shock, humidity, vibrations and liquid immersion.

Security features provided through Microsoft's EAS (Exchange ActiveSync) allow users to encrypt data in transit, remotely wipe information, enable device inactivity timeout and set password complexity.

The G'zOne performs enterprise tasks such as downloading blueprints, files and pictures and managing a field force. It also allows workers to access inventories and capture signatures.

The device runs the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and operates on Verizon's 3G/EV-DO network. In addition, it serves as a WiFi hotspot for other devices. The unit doesn't support 4G connectivity, however.

It operates in eight modes, including Earth Compass and Walking Counter, which tracks steps, distance and energy consumption.

Trip Memory allows users to keep track of outdoor activities and share the information with contacts on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Other modes allow users to run a variety of virtual components, such as tracking a tide's ebb and flow, displaying thermometer readings in Celsius and Fahrenheit for multiple locations, as well as tracking the location of the sun, moon, stars and constellations using GPS.

The unit weighs 5.4 ounces, measures 5.1 by 2.6 by 0.6 inches and features a 3.6-inch WVGA display. It also features XT9 and T9 trace input for efficient typing.

In addition, G'zGear software allows users to navigate outdoor environments, while using Triple Sensor technology to keep track of direction, acceleration and temperature.

The G'zOne also incorporates a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus, LED flash and video capture. Plus, it comes with 1GB of flash memory and 512MB of RAM.

Verizon will offer the G'zOne starting April 28 for $199.99 with a two-year customer mobile service agreement. The carrier's unlimited data plans start at $29.99 per month.

Other leaders in rugged mobile devices for harsh environments include Motorola, Motion Computing and Samsung.

In January, Motion Computing announced its rugged CL900 tablet for verticals such as health care and retail, and T-Mobile carries the rugged Motorola Defy Android smartphone on its network. The Defy's 3.7-inch touch screen is resistant to water and scratches.

Meanwhile, Samsung's line of rugged Rugby phones on AT&T are also marketed to verticals in tough working environments. The Rugby II is a 3G two-way push-to-talk device suitable for extreme temperatures, shock and vibration.

 

Oracle Scores Early Points in Java Suit over Google Android

The judge in the Oracle lawsuit against Google has sided with Oracle on the interpretation of certain patent terms in the case, potentially giving Oracle a slight early advantage.

Oracle has drawn a bit of blood in its legal battle with Google over the use of Java in Android, based on the judge’s interpretation of certain language in the patent case.

According to a Reuters report, U.S. District Judge William Alsup pretty much sided with Oracle in a “claim construction” issue in the case. The Patent Hawk Website defines claim construction as “the art of translating patent claim jargon into plain English.”

In the Oracle vs. Google case, Alsup addressed terms in three of the seven patents Oracle cited in its action. And in an order issued April 27, of five technical terms at issue in the case, Alsup sided with Oracle’s interpretation on four of them, and wrote his own for another, Reuters reported.

The Patent Hawk site goes further to say:

“Claim construction disputes arise over both the definition of technical terms and semantic interpretation. The outcome of an attempt at patent enforcement commonly hinges on claim construction: the court-accepted definition of specific terms used in patent claims. Patent litigants spend a bucket of money on claim construction. The reason is that claim construction usually determines two root issues of every patent case: whether the plaintiff has a valid claim, and whether the defendant infringed the patent.”

Florian Mueller, an intellectual property advocate and founder of the NoSoftwarePatents campaign, said, “Claim construction is fairly important. Litigants always fight each other over how to interpret the most important terms. Even if this is only a preliminary position that the judge may still revise, this is for the time being yet another setback for Google, which previously failed to have Oracle's copyright infringement claims thrown out by summary judgment.”

Oracle sued Google in August 2010 claiming Google’s Android mobile operating system infringes certain Java patents and copyrights Oracle attained in its acquisition of Sun Microsystems.

Scoring early points in the lawsuit could play well for Oracle, particularly if the interpretation of this language gives Oracle even a slight advantage. And though Oracle won this round of the battle, it is not yet clear whether this will amount to a pin prick or something more like a bloody nose.

“It is intuitive that the side which gets to define the terms would have a leg up, but as far as I can tell, it is still early to tell how will this unfold,” said Al Hilwa, an analyst with IDC. “Oracle’s concerns around the value of Java and its fragmentation have merit, and it would seem to me that a collaboration between these two would be in the interest of Java.”

Alsup gave both sides until May 6 to submit a critique of his tentative decision, Reuters reported. The case is expected to go to trial by November.

 

Android to be king of apps by July

 

For the last year Apple has dealt with those who claimed  that Android will overtake it by pointing to the number of apps available for its smartphones. Currently, there are 350,000 iPhone apps available.

Now it seems that Android will overtake the iOS on that front even as it steals market share. A report by market research firm Distimo into activity on Apple's App Stores, the BlackBerry App World, GetJar, Google's Android Market, Nokia's Ovi Store, Palm's App Catalog, and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, shows that Android and Microsoft are growing like topsy. 

If all application stores maintain their growth,   five months from now Google Android Market will be the largest store, followed by the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad, Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, BlackBerry App World and Nokia Ovi Store," the firm said in its findings.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Marketplace will be larger than the Nokia Ovi Store and BlackBerry App World prior to the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace being available for a full year.

Google has already made headway on attacking Apple numbers. It has 134,342 free applications versus the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch's 121,845 free applications.

The outfit estimates that Google will have 40,000 applications short of evening out with Apple's overall volume by the end of June, and will catch up completely in July.

Distimo's report factored in Apple's App Store for the iPad, which it says reached 75,755 applications at the end of March. Thirty percent of those applications are free, the firm said, with the average price for paid apps hitting $5.36.

What this means is that in June the Apple fallacy that Apps indicate success will be completely bogus. There are only so many applications that a user will buy and use.

Our guess is however that Android will replace Apple as the number one mobile operating system fairly soon, however many applications the two have

Sony: Android and Nvidia go together

Sony's adoption of Nvidia silicon for its upcoming Android tablets makes the graphics chip supplier--at least for the time being--the hardware standard for the Android tablet world, as a Sony vice president articulated in an interview in Japan on Wednesday.
"For the tablet platform, we're standardizing on Android 3.0 and Nvidia's Tegra 2," said Kunimasa Suzuki, a senior vice president at Sony in an interview with Japan-based Impress Watch.
Suzuki's comments come after Sony unveiled two Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" tablets on Tuesday. One has a 9.4-inch (1280-by-800) display and front and rear cameras, while the other is "foldable" and uses two 5.5-inch displays. Both tablets, due in the fall, will run Android 3.0 on top of Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor.

Sony 'S1' tablet. Like Motorola's and Toshiba's Honeycomb tablets, it uses an Nvidia Tegra chip.

(Credit: Sony)

Sony's tablet, in this respect, will mimic Motorola and its Xoom tablet, which also sports Honeycomb and an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. And others, including Toshiba, have similar Honeycomb-Nvidia tablets on the way.
Will Strauss, president of wireless chip market research firm Forward Concepts, said that companies like Sony and Motorola are using Nvidia because of the strength of its graphics performance. "In talking to people [in the industry] that's what I'm hearing," Strauss said.
But Google's endorsement of--and standardization on--Nvidia's Tegra technology early on before Android 3.0 was finalized for the Motorola Xoom has probably been the biggest factor in making Nvidia's chip, practically speaking, the only choice right now for Honeycomb.
That said, Nvidia is not Intel. And this is not the PC industry where there is one dominant player. Large chip companies like Texas Instruments and Qualcomm also make processors based on the ARM architecture. Those chips can--and do--run Android. And add LG Electronics, which this week signed a new license agreement with ARM, to that list too.
"In some cases, it's I'm Catholic and they're Catholic so let's use that," Strauss said. "Some people would prefer to use [Texas Instruments'] OMAP 4 processor because they like that graphics better," he added.
Until that happens on a commercial Honeycomb tablet, however, Nvidia is the de-facto standard. So much so that Sony's Suzuki is aware that the adoption of Android and Nvidia threatens the perception of a "uniquely Sony" tablet, he said in the interview.
He spelled four areas where the Japanese company intends to distinguish itself, including "optimizing" the combination of hardware and software and focusing on "networked entertainment" in which Sony tablets can communicate with a variety of consumer devices.

A Better Way to Port Your Number to Google Voice without an Early Termination Fee

Making Google Voice Work for You without more Work

You love the idea of Google Voice, you just don’t love the idea of trying to get all of your contacts to update their address books with your new phone number, right? So you’re all hot to port your mobile number to Google Voice now that Google has opened up the option to do so. The downside being that early termination fee, right? If you port your number out from your wireless carrier, that cancels your contract and they bill you for the ETF.  Deal breaker, right? It isn’t if you plan a bit for the change.

Lifehacker, one of my all time favorite blogs, has a very nice writeup about porting your still under contract cell number to Google Voice while maintaining your current contract and avoiding the early termination fees normally associated with porting your number out from your wireless carrier.

How to Port Your Cell Number to Google Voice with no Termination Fee

I’ll summarize it by saying that the author called ahead to tell customer service what he was doing, ported his number to Google Voice and then went into the Verizon store and talked his way in to reactivating his contract with a new number assigned to his phone. And got his ETF waived. It’s an okay  method to make this happen if you can walk the tightrope and pull it off, but there is a foolproof option that sidesteps the risk of encountering the ETF screw job altogether.

Step One: Find a Stupid Cell Phone; Not Android, Not BlackBerry, Just a Cell Phone

Dig up an old cell phone that you have lying around the house, charge the battery and then take it to a corporate store for your carrier of choice. Tell the nice person behind the counter that you would like to move your main number over to this plain old cell phone as a Family Plan, month-to-month add-on, for the purpose of porting the number out to Google Voice. Have them assign a new number to your Android device.

In every case where I have advised this method the person involved had their number moved to the older cellphone as a month-to-month addition to their family plan, got their number ported out without issue or ETF and had uninterrupted service.

The key steps:

1. Find a plain old cell phone to use. Every carrier that I am aware of requires a new two-year agreement with every data plan, even if you bring in a device that you own. This needs to be a dumb phone.
2. Explain what you want to do. Don’t just assume that the person helping you gets it. Tell them that your plan is to move your number to this month-to-month phone for the purpose of porting out to Google Voice while maintaining your current contract and service after the port is complete.
3. Don’t sign anything until you read it. Make sure that you aren’t blindsided by buffoonery or inattention to the details.
4. Make a call to customer service after your visit. Verify that you aren’t tied to a contract on that line and then initiate the port out of your number with Google Voice.
5. If a mistake is made, walk right back in to the store and ask for the manager. Explain what happened and then demand that they fix it or undo the entire mess. The manager will correct the error and you will be on your way to completion.

The Costs, Without any ETFs

You can add a line to most any family plan for $10 a month. Google charges $20 to port in your existing cell phone number. For a total of $30 you have your cell phone number ported, you have a new private number assigned to your Android phone and you were never in danger of being charged an early termination fee.