How do you bury the competition? By taking one of their strongest services and improving on it. For the past year or so Google has been seeking its answer to the iTunes Store. We’ve heard various rumors, but we’ve also heard that Google has faced significant obstacles from the record companies. Frustrated that the record companies didn’t see things their way, Google went ahead and launched a comprehensive music locker service, Google Music. But now they’re back at the table with record companies, and it appears that they’re on the brink of something even bigger.
If there’s anything I’ve learned in my almost-five years of tech blogging, it’s to never believe that we’ve exhausted the capabilities of any technology prematurely. There have been so many instances where it appeared that we’d found all the uses for one particular aspect, only to find out that there’s so much more we can do with it. I’m not sure anyone particularly thinks that we’ve exhausted touchscreen functions, but it does seem that we’ve reached a comfort level with them. But thanks to some work by folks at Carnegie Mellon, we might see touchscreen, and therefore smartphone, functionality take another step forward.
It’s been a long, wild ride for Android. It’s hard to forget the Droid Does campaign that really got the platform moving in 2009. Since then Android has grown rapidly, eventually surpassing iOS’s US market share. Today we have a little treat that documents this history.
Posted by Joe on October 8, 2011 | 3 comments | Filed under : Tablets
Even a week after its announcement, it sounds as thought the Kindle Fire buzz is still running strong. They have more than 250,000 pre-orders right now, and with a November 15th release date they’ll surely add to that number. The Fire will undoubtedly top any Android tablet launch to date by a significant margin — despite it not being your typical Android tablet. Which brings me to a question for those in the tablet market: Are you more apt to pick up the Fire or a more traditional Android tablet?
Posted by Joe on October 6, 2011 | 3 comments | Filed under : gPhones
It’s smartphone contract time for me, so that means shopping around. The preference is to stay with my current carrier, Verizon, because 1) I’m grandfathered into unlimited data and 2) they get the best reception in my area. At the same time, my handset of choice is the Samsung Galaxy S II. While Verizon does have a few quality handsets — I have a few friends who swear by the Droid X2 — none of them made me want to plunk down $200 to $250. That is, until it became clear why Verizon was the only major carrier to not carry the Galaxy S II. Chances are by now you’ve seen that Verizon will get the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Now that’s a smartphone worth $300.
Unlimited data is a thing of the past. AT&T started it, capping their services at 2GB in 2010. Verizon and T-Mobile followed about a year later, though both added higher-tier options for heavy data consumers. But the point remains: gone are the days where you could browse, download, and stream with abandon. That is, unless you’re on Sprint. Throughout this ordeal they’ve not only retained their unlimited data plans, but they’ve continually reassured customers that they will, indeed, stay unlimited. The latest comes from CTO Stephen Bye (via CNET). He stated the challenges of maintaining unlimited plans, but also said that Sprint is willing to face that challenge.
Posted by Joe on September 27, 2011 | 7 comments | Filed under : gPhones
On October 16th you’ll see the above-pictured device on store shelves. It looks like a normal Android smartphone, but it lacks one key element: a cellular radio. Instead, it’s a WiFi-based Android that essentially mimics Apple’s iPod Touch. It’ll come in two sizes: the four-inch screen will cost $229, while the five-inch screen will cost $269. Those are reasonable prices for devices that will carry no monthly service commitments. But I have to wonder if the Android platform is ready for this type of device.
T-Mobile customers might be able to keep their rate plans even if AT&T acquires the company, but even a new clause doesn’t make the reality much better. Soon after AT&T announced its bid to buy T-Mobile, it eased T-Mobile customer concerns by saying they could keep their current rate plans. Of course, that all figured to change once a customer’s contract expired. Earlier this week TmoNews.com reported that T-Mobile employees got an update on that front. Not only will T-Mobile customers keep their current rate plans, but they can keep them “even when their term ends and the service continues on a month-to-month basis.” (Emphasis mine.)That’s all fine and good, but it doesn’t help people who intend to upgrade.
Google is full of neat, futuristic ideas, but none has appealed to me to the same degree that Google Wallet has. It’s a practical, easy solution that will, in time, allow me to carry one less bulky item. You can watch the above video for a quick introduction to Google Wallet, and then read on for some perspective.
Posted by Joe on September 16, 2011 | no comment | Filed under : gPhones
The Samsung Transform Ultra is the latest Android phone headed to Boost Mobile, and it’s their best one yet. Armed with a 1GHz processor and a 3.5-inch touchscreen, the Transform Ultra falls somewhere between a mid-range and high-end Android handset, giving it an easy leg up on the Galaxy Prevail, Boost’s other Android. It comes in at a decent price, too, $229.99, which is slightly more than you’d expect to pay for the same phone on contract. It drops on October 7th, which is soon enough. There is, however, one catch. Starting on that same date, Boost is adding a $5 monthly surcharge for Android phones. It makes sense, given how much data they can consume. So that will be $55 per month for unlimited talk, text, and data. Not bad, considering it uses Sprint’s nationwide network.
