Tag Archives: Android

May 13 2013
Smartphones

If you’re going to buy a smartphone, read this article

Brian S Hall writing at Tech.pinions:

You’re saying the HTC One is better than the Samsung Galaxy S4?

No. I think the S4 is slightly better. But if you buy the S4 all your friends will think you did so only because of all those Samsung commercials.

Hall goes through the questions I get all the time, and nails the answers. If you’re getting your first smartphone or upgrading an older model, you owe it to yourself to read the whole thing.

SMALL ADDENDUM: The iPhone 5′s LTE capability is perhaps overlooked by Hall. I think the speed it offers outweighs any other compromises. His arguments are all valid nonetheless.

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Apr 29 2013
Microsoft, Nokia

Latest Windows Phone ad touts Apple and Google’s smartphone dominance

Are Microsoft’s advertising firms trying to sabotage the company? This ad only reiterates that there’s only two smartphones platforms of importance: iOS and Android.

Nokia makes terrific hardware. Shame it’s being hampered by the too-simplistic and poorly supported Windows Phone OS.

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Apr 17 2013
Smartphones

MLB’s app usage, revenue skewed towards Apple & iOS

MLB.com’s Bob Bowman at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference, via AllThingsD:

His user base, which used to split 80/20 in favor of iOS over Android, has now moved to 70/30… But the uptick in Android users, he said, doesn’t track with revenue. That still splits 80/20 in favor of iOS users. “Maybe even 85/15.”

Hit the link for more details and video. With numbers like that, it’s no wonder smaller developers and accessory makers don’t bother with Android support.

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Mar 18 2013
Tablets

Don’t expect a new BlackBerry tablet anytime soon

Thorsten Heins had a lot to say to The Australian Financial Review on the eve of the BlackBerry 10 launch down under:

In the near future he said the business case for taking a plunge back into the tablet market was not compelling.

“I wouldn’t want to do it the same way again, if I do something around tablets, I want it to be really substantial and meaningful, and quite frankly it would need to be profitable as well,” he said.

This is where things gets complicated for BlackBerry. As terrific as the Z10 may or may not be, consumers are no longer just buying devices. They’re buying into whole ecosystems. Without a tablet or compelling online cloud services, the BlackBerry platform looks incomplete compared to Apple, Samsung, or even Microsoft’s offerings.

Check out the link to see the whole Heins article, complete with plenty of iPhone bashing.

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Feb 19 2013
Google, Retail

The Google Retail Store

Via The Wall Street Journal:

Google has been developing plans to launch retail stores in the U.S., said people familiar with the matter, in another sign the company is studying Apple’s playbook for building a consumer-electronics brand.

The stores would likely sell Google-branded hardware, these people said. But it isnt clear when or where any stores would open, and one of the people said the Internet giant might not move forward with the plan this year.

Google has never really cared about customer service. Retail stores would indicate a complete 180 in that thinking.

While Apple views their store as the best possible marketing for their products, they’re also very profitable. How much money can be made selling $249 Chromebooks and free internet services? Google retail stores would have to come with pricier items to sell, or an understanding that they will lose a ton of money. Even so, they may still be worth it for Google.

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Aug 06 2012
Microsoft, Patent Wars

Microsoft makes $800M on patent royalties from Android makers

Via BGR:

According to estimates from analysts at Trefis, Microsoft’s patent royalties from Samsung and HTC alone totaled as much as $792 million in the second quarter, more than making up for the difficulties Windows Phone has had gaining traction.

Remember, that $800M figure is just for Samsung and HTC. Add the deals it has with most other Android device makers, Microsoft is looking at billions every year. I guess this explains how they can spend $400M trying to launch Windows Phone and the Nokia Lumia.

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Jun 29 2012
Also-rans

Steve Jobs: Winning arguments about Flash from the grave

Engadget has news of Flash’ demise on Android devices:

Adobe was very public about dropping mobile Flash last fall. In case that wasn’t clear enough, the developer just drew a line in the sand: Android 4.1 doesn’t, and won’t ever, get certification for Flash. The company is stopping short of saying that Flash won’t run, but it’s evident that Adobe won’t help you if the web browser plugin doesn’t install (or breaks in spectacular fashion) on that Nexus 7. Just to underscore the point, the firm is also halting new installations of Flash from Google Play as of August 15th.

So it you really really want Flash on a tablet, looks like the PlayBook is your only choice. Get one before RIM shuts its doors and stops making them!

Flash has always sucked on smartphones, has pretty much sucked on tablets (The notable is exception is the PlayBook, on which flash worked most of the time) and should have been abandoned long ago. “Thoughts on Flash,” an April 2010 letter by Steve Jobs, has proven to be right on the money.

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Jun 04 2012
Tablets

In tablet wars, fight is for No. 2 position

Another financial analyst chimes in on the future of tablets. What  Kathryn Huberty of Morgan Stanley says doesn’t necessarily make sense, but it does bring up the very valid question. After Apple’s assured victory, who gets the consolation tablet prize, Microsoft or Google? Via Forbes:

The bold call: Microsoft will grab a substantial chunk of the market with the introduction of Windows 8 later this year. “Our survey suggests 25% of users expect to buy Windows 8 tablet and Office is a key feature, especially for those considering their first tablet purchase,” Huberty and her team wrote in an analysis of the market released Thursday.

The Redmond, Wash., software giant should be able to attract tablet builders by bundling its two strongest personal computer brands — Office and Windows — the analyst argues. “Our analysis suggests Microsoft could charge $82-114 for Windows and Office before OEMs would lose money on tablets,” Huberty writes.

Here’s the problem for these fighters:

  • For Google, they still haven’t proven that people are willing to pay for their devices. Sure, they do a bang up job of selling free or almost-free smartphones on multi-year contracts. But when an Android tablet is priced at $400 and up, Google gets more laughs than buys. They haven’t been able to compete with last year’s iPad, let alone the current one.
  • For Microsoft, they’ve got a task that seems even harder: Convince people that their tablet software, which was born out of a smartphone with low single-digit marketshare, will work better and do better on unsubsidized tablets. With more employees now bringing their own devices to work, second place in the tablet wars could be an unreachable goal.
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May 17 2012
Smartphones

Japan’s biggest carrier still going steady with Android

Japan’s NTT Docomo launched a new lineup of phones yesterday, and their president weighed in on why all 16 of the phones run Android. Via The Verge:

…Docomo president Ryuji Yamada yesterday, who expressed preference for Android devices due to the open nature of the platform. At yesterday’s event announcing the company’s summer lineup, Yamada told a crowd of reporters that it would be ‘difficult’ for Docomo to provide the same experience to iPhone customers because of Apple’s strict regulations.

Translation: Android lets us shovel as much crapware/bloatware onto our customers as we like, Apple does not.

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