26
Jul
2010
Android Market is Fragmented, Needs Work
While it is quite true that the Google Android operating system is indeed the most widely used smart phone mobile platform in the world, it is also the most fragmented (not counting the Symbian operating system of course).
The reason for this is due to the fact that so many handsets of different configurations are using the Android OS. Phones that come with varying touch screen sizes, display resolutions, internal memory, RAM, processor speeds and various other hardware configurations run Google’s open source mobile OS. This makes it hard to come up with a new version of the Android that would run on all mobile phones.
Add in the fact that the firmware updates that Google releases are different from operator specific updates that are compatible with users who are under a contract or tariff, and you have a mobile platform that needs some serious reworking.
Looking at this, it shows a bit of a reason as to why the previous Russian rumors about the 3.0 Gingerbread requiring strict hardware standards have popped up: because Google actually needs it. While it would be too much of a requirement for all Android devices to have 4 inch touch screens and 1GHz CPUs (as stated by the rumor), Google does need to set a new bar.
The hard part here is actually declaring some Android devices as incompatible with further updates. Which means that there will be phones stuck with running the older versions of the OS; it’s a big price to pay if Google wants to standardize the platform and help the OS’ market grow.
As it is, users of Android smart phones are taking a big gamble with each app purchase as some apps simply do not work on specific phone models –not Android OS versions. The lack of uniformity in the user experience for Android owners will have to be fixed is Google’s platform is to fully succeed.
22
Jul
2010
Microsoft: People Do Not Want Multitasking
It is interesting to have a quick insight into the opinions that developers may have sometimes. And this is not one of those times.
There is nothing interesting about Microsoft’s senior product manager telling the world that multitasking is not what the end users want. While it is true that running multiple programs would slow down any mobile phone and plenty of importance is placed on the overall performance of the handset –that is a decision for a user to make.
But for the option to be taken away, Microsoft is obviously asking for trouble.
Apple has already been through a couple of years’ worth of fans and users demanding that multitasking be added to the iPhone OS. It may have taken them until just recently to relent, but in the end, they did. And this is because people want multitasking. Besides, no credible tech critic would put down a phone for slowing down when it is running several apps at once.
Microsoft’s fears about the performance have no basis, people running multiple apps know what they are doing. Of course, it would be nice if MS’ app handling allows users to easily shut down or simply place an app in the background instead.
Multitasking is not the only feature missing from Windows Phone 7. Cut and paste is also not present –making things a whole lot worse. Not only are these two features important, but it feels like Microsoft is planning to follow every single mistake that Apple made with the iPhone –instead of allowing recent tech history to give them a lesson.
For some strange reason, Microsoft’s tech teams have decided that they need to go through the issues firsthand before learning anything at all. Anyway, the new Windows Phone 7 OS is expected to be launched this coming September, a full month ahead of the originally announced October launch.
5
Jul
2010
Future Forecast: Video Calls and Apple’s FaceTime
Video calling technology has always been an add-on feature, a novelty, a side product. Very rare has it been that video calls are to be considered as a primary form of communication. Simply, the technology clashes with the very concept of mobile phones.
Video calls require a person to engage in two simultaneous activities: hold a conversation and see the person on the other end. While this is easy when you are sitting in the living room couch or at the head of a conference table, the situation and practicality changes a lot when people are on the go –such as when they are walking down the street and are driving.
Even if Apple and network operators provide ways to make video calls easier, there really is not much room for actual use of the technology. Unlike existing communication mediums such as voice calls and text messaging, video calls will require more focus from users –and that is the core problem of Apple’s FaceTime.
The CEO of Three Mobile UK, Kevin Russell, stated that the FaceTime application that Apple launched will fail to live up to the hype and eventually die out. In his words, the app will “not catch on” and many industry analysts think so too.
Despite the fact that many iPhone users have been requesting Apple to add in a front facing camera, the purpose of the request was intended to enable video chat over the internet –in pretty much the same way that one would use a desktop computer with a web cam.
In the meanwhile, 3 UK is introducing their new “One Plan” promo for all multiple plan holders. This single tariff will cover a wide range of services and devices –allowing for users to have a single comprehensive data and call minute package for all devices without needing to worry about handling multiple accounts.
28
Jun
2010
Android Smart Phones Getting Froyo Update
Google has finally released a final build of the Android 2.2 Froyo update and that file is now available for people to download. Many have reported that the update does not appear on their handsets which means that this patch will not work on all Android operating systems. It has been confirmed that users would need to have the FRF50 firmware if they want to get the latest version of the Android.
Initial tests on the new Android 2.2 Froyo shows that Google has been true to their word in terms of the improved performance; the screens shift faster, apps and features load quicker and overall, the phone experience feels a lot smoother. In some ways, the update makes it feel like the CPU itself has been boosted in speed.
Web browsing has also been improved in the case of loading Java faster, however, since some internet connections are really slow, it is hard to see the big improvement –though when the connection is fast and stable and users are viewing pages with plenty of Java script, the performance boost is pretty noticeable.
Tethering and turning the handset into a WiFi hotspot have been confirmed, though these have yet to be tested. The feature has been much in demand among many smart phone owners in order to make full use of many 3G data plans and the inclusion of this to the Android is a welcome addition.
Naturally, the most anticipated feature is the Adobe Flash Player. Fortunately, Android smart phone owners do not need to wait any longer as Adobe has already released the downloadable Flash Player update just two days ago. The software development company was met with surprised and confused reactions from people as the player was only compatible with Android 2.2 and only the Nexus One has the OS at that time. Users of HTC’s Desire handset are expecting an update to Froyo soon.
24
Jun
2010
How Location Based Apps are Changing Economy
Before the introduction of the modern smart phone technology, at a time when internet access was something that only a few people had available, many small businesses thrived on having geographically close customers from small, local communities.
Many of these businesses continue until this very day, while some have died out, other have found a new range of customers walking into their stores thanks to the power of smart phone technology.
While this may seem hard to put together, the smart phone industry has plenty of impact on small businesses. Take Foursquare for example. As the application encourages people to go out more, they also encourage people to visit more places. Of course, some users would aim for a mayor badge by visiting a single establishment often, but more often than not, people try to get other badges by being able to visit many other locations.
The fact that users can also leave feedbacks and recommendations is also quite impressive. More often than not, a visit to a nearby bookstore or fitness gym will have users reading recommendations about nearby pubs or restaurants. A quick stay at a local hotel might get you recommendations for the best movie houses around town. And there are more locations based services than just Foursquare.
GPS navigation services often employ a “point of interest” feature which not only shows users the locations of nearby health and emergency centers, but also the nearest stores and shops. Landmarks –both the well known and the locally established, are often noted as well. In fact, it can be said that GPS technology has allowed may businesses that have ‘bad locations’ (mostly as some road works would re-route traffic flow, turning previously busy streets into quiet side routes) to flourish. With Nokia and Google now offering free voice guided sat-nav services, expect this impact to get even larger.
23
Jun
2010
Android Retro Gaming: BreakTheBlocks Relives Arkanoid
There plenty of old school casual arcade games that are as fun to play today as they are now. However, not all of these impressive classics find a new version or update that is playable on the newer game consoles, handhelds and in this case, smart phone.
Thankfully, there are many game developers who have been heavily inspired by these titles that they have started working on their own version of the classics. Here is a quick look BreakTheBlocks, and Android app game that is similar in style to Arkanoid.
Anyone who has played Arkanoid before would know the game for the basic layout it has. The player has control of a single flat line below the screen, similar to a Pong style paddle, a ball and various blocks on the upper area of a stage that surrounded by blocks. It might sound complicated in text, but visually, it is hard to get simpler than this game.
The objective of the game is to make the ball hit the blocks on the upper area of the stage. The blocks will break when the ball hits and when the blocks have all run out, then the player wins the stage and move on to the next. If the player misses the ball, a life is lost and the game ends when all the lives are out.
Now that the summary is out of the way, we can focus on the BreakTheBlocks version. In terms of style and feel, it looks pretty much like every Arkanoid style game ever made. The slightly larger blocks and small stage makes for a slightly more challenging gameplay style, but considering the controls of the Android smart phone, this style is better suited to the controls.
BreakTheBlocks Lite is available for free on the Google Android market with 10 levels while the full paid version offers 50 stages.
21
Jun
2010
Sonic the Hedgehog Zooms to Star in the iPhone
There are more and more console games being remade to shine in the iPhone. Most of these have gotten much success even as paid titles, encouraging developers to come up with the next big hit. Companies like Square and Taito have already gained their foothold in the Apple App Store, now its Sega’s turn to prove that they can please the Apple diehards too.
Sega has always been associated with their chili dog loving mascot, Sonic. Since many gamers have fallen in love with the speedy, side scrolling game play of the franchise, it is only fitting to see the title get its chance to shine on the iPhone (or, of course, the soon to be released iPhone 4). Sure, there are many platform games out for Apple’s device, but this is your chance to play the title that started them all.
This title will continue the storyline from Sonic and Knuckles. Making the leap from the Sega Mega Drive had Sega baffled at the iPhone’s controls at first. With their efforts, the company was able to seamlessly combine directional pad touch controls with the iPhone’s tilt sensors to make for an exceptional game experience.
They chose the developers of Nintendo DS’ Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventures to head the project but of course the Sonic Team still had a hand in its creation as co developer. This title was long rumored but it only got confirmed when the Japanese company invited a few lucky journalists over during the Los Angeles’ E3 gaming convention held recently.
Aside from the iPhone and DS versions, this project will be released in all the three home consoles. Do not be worried about its quality however, the iPhone will get as much content as the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 or Sony Playstation 3 versions. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is due to be released sometime “late 2010”.
13
Jun
2010
Orange Provides Live Football: Anytime, Anywhere
Sure, we all know how easy it is to grab all the hottest news bit and video clips on a mobile phone. With all the apps that feature the World Cup, staying on top of the match results is a breeze.
But that is not the issue if you are stuck under the sun. For one reason or another, most people find themselves under direct sunlight, and when this happens at a time when you would want to be watching the live streaming match on your smart phone –the glare will keep you from seeing anything at all.
Most iPhone and iPad owners have already accepted the fact that their devices are completely worthless under direct sunlight. Most of the technology that is used for the surface of touch screens is simply not made to handle direct sunlight.
This is where Orange Mobile’s visor comes in. Yes, the mobile network operator has decided to come out with its own anti-glare visor that would provide users with a way to keep the sun’s glare from their mobile phone while still allowing people to see the screen comfortably. Best of all, the visor is completely free.
Anyone interested in the visor just needs to go to the Orange official website and download the PDF of the visor. There are also instructions for anyone who needs extra help figuring it out. After getting the PDF simply print it and cut out the visor. Assembling it is simply a matter of folding and cutting properly –afterwards, it is ready to be mounted on a mobile phone.
According to Orange, this visor is the perfect add on to their Mobile TV promos that would give subscribers access to all the live game feeds from the World Cup. Alternatively, Orange users can also download the free Orange Football Live application.
7
Jun
2010
Castrol’s World Cup App Keeps You Updated with All Stats
Well, someone had to do it. With all the big excitement over the upcoming World Cup, it comes as to no surprise that someone finally made an app that would give you statistics and a projected outcome of matches.
After all, it has been proven time and time again that people in general just love number crunching. While the actual calculations are a pain to process, being able to compare cold hard numbers is actually entertaining –as weird as the idea sounds on paper. Anyway, Castrol has released an iPhone app that will get you connected with all the big numbers of the upcoming World Cup.
From the specs of the teams as a whole to individual player performances, Castrol’s database reaches deep into the history of football and gathers data from all the relevant matches that players participated in the past. Using this data, the app will even give users a predicted match outcome. And while it would not be wise making any bets based on the results of an App, it does take the thinking out of those arguments about which team would win based on the players’ histories.
The prediction system does not only offer stats on which team is likely to win, it also provides behavioral pattern results –giving you a heads up on the most likely plays to be executed by players and in shoot-outs, where a goalie would be positioning.
In other World Cup related news, UK residents are being advised to be careful of using their smart phones outside of the country –especially those planning to attend the World Cup in South Africa. People are advised to contact their mobile network operators in to know about the various roaming and data charges that would apply once a user is outside of UK territory.
3
Jun
2010
Android Phone Fragmentation is the Pink Elephant in the Room
Fragmentation in the Android mobile phone platform has been officially deemed an urban myth. Dan Morrill, the Android team’s open source and program compatibility manager, released a written explanation as to why fragmentation is nothing more than a figment of your imagination. In his creative write up, he basically says that the very concept is nonexistent:
“Because it means everything, it actually means nothing, so the term is useless. Stories on ‘fragmentation’ are dramatic and they drive traffic to pundits’ blogs, but they have little to do with reality. ‘Fragmentation’ is a bogeyman, a red herring, a story you tell to frighten junior developers. Yawn.”
Because Android is an open sourced platform, many developers have their hand in making a mark in the little green robot’s market. This means that many different people have also tried to express their experiences with fragmentation in a variety of ways. Having six major versions of the Android platform has made its mark on the industry because basically, people have a hard time keeping up.
Developers have problems making their apps compatible with the platform, manufacturers get questioned about the quality of their devices and users get left out when an app is not compatible with their mobile phone.
Well, Google handles these concerns by restricting the use of the Android name. This is given only to apps which have passed a very stringent list of specs. These apps are deemed to be compatible even to future Android builds.
For those who do not pass the requirements, Google simply blocks or limits the release for compatibility with specific Android devices. From what Morrill said, it seems this fragmentation issue is no bigger than what Android users make it to be. It affects all of us and yet our precious Android devices will still work perfectly fine without full compatibility with every single ‘droid app out there.
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