Android and Me |
- Motorola is turning Android into a desktop OS with Webtop 3.0
- Help us find the next great Android app #thenextinstall
- Is fragmentation really that big of a deal?
- Android: finally the sexy platform to develop for?
- Android Rumors Report: Nexus tablet, Samsung Galaxy S III, Tegra 4, HTC EVO One
- Amazon Wireless sheds beta tag, adds price guarantee and $25 in premium apps
- Instagram now available on the Play Store
- Leaked press shot shows off the HTC EVO One from Sprint
- Google and Oracle settlement talks stall, trial set for April 16th
| Motorola is turning Android into a desktop OS with Webtop 3.0 Posted: 03 Apr 2012 03:13 PM PDT  Can Android 4.0 replace a desktop PC? We have already examined that question, and now it appears Motorola believes the answer is yes. Their Droid RAZR is expected to see a software update to Android 4.0 as early as next week, which delivers a totally new Webtop experience. Previously, Motorola’s Webtop software allowed a phone to plugin into a smart dock that launched a custom Linux desktop that featured Firefox for as the browser. We thought it was an innovative feature when it debuted at CES 2011, but the actual experience turned out to be pretty sluggish and frustrating. We predicted that the Motorola Atrix 4G and Webtop software were a good indicator of where Android was headed, and now it appears that has come true. A leaked copy of the Android 4.0 update for the Droid RAZR reveals a new “Webtop 3.0 beta” that does away with the limited Linux desktop and provides users with a full Android 4.0 tablet UI when a device is docked to a larger display. I’m pretty excited to see that this different-UI-for-different-displays feature is finally coming to Android phones. Hopefully handset makers will enable it over HDMI, MHL, and eventually WiFi Display. This is similar to the functionality of the new ASUS Padfone, but it’s interesting to see Motorola go this direction after the acquisition by Google. We now expect that Motorola will include this feature on all their new high-end Android phones. Check out the quick video below to get a sneak peek of what it will look like.
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| Help us find the next great Android app #thenextinstall Posted: 03 Apr 2012 02:29 PM PDT  Our community loves Android apps and we love hunting for new up and comers that we can suggest. We already cover the most popular and top updated apps, but we thought it would be interesting to have a weekly column focused on underground apps that have less than 50k installs. Can we pick a relatively unknown app and help boost their installs and exposure to new highs? That’s the challenge we are taking on with a new experiment I’m going to call #thenextinstall. We polled some of readers and asked them to submit recommendations for Android apps that they thought had the potential to become hits. After reviewing all the submissions, we created the following list apps. Browse over the new app suggestions and let us know if any of them make it onto your device. ForecastPitch: Forecast is a fun and simple way for friends to share where they're going. Foursquare required. Shake ‘n Rotate!
Pitch: Disable the auto-rotation with a shake! Warrantify
Pitch: Warrantify is a free service that helps to scan, store and manage all your product warranties and receipts on the go. Where was I?Pitch: ’Where Was I?’ is a new kind of location tracker that is designed to always run in the background with minimal impact on the battery. PhantomALERT NEWPitch: Your smartphone is no longer just for calls and navigation, it can save you from costly traffic tickets, gridlock and accidents. Minimal Reader
Pitch: Meet Minimal Reader, the only customizable News *WIDGET* with a handy *Pop-Up* function. RoadNinja
Pitch: Want to know what restaurants are at the next interstate exit? Ask the RoadNinja. CogsPitch: Cogs is a ground-breaking puzzle game where players build increasingly complex machines using sliding tiles in 2D and 3D environments. What’s next? How can I participate?Over the coming week, we will monitor all the apps and see which generate the most buzz. We will be watching the installs, download clicks, review scores, and more to see which app comes out on top. Next week we will name the winning app, and then put it up against nine new apps to repeat the process. If you want to play along, then join the league of app addicts.
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| Is fragmentation really that big of a deal? Posted: 03 Apr 2012 01:52 PM PDT  When I think of the nastiest word I can associate with Android, I think of “fragmentation.” Fragmentation is like a big, dark cloud hanging over Android’s head. Those controlling the weather don’t want to admit they’re the ones who accidentally made it, and those gazing on from the distance have no problem telling you how nasty it looks. But how does it really feel under the dark cloud of fragmentation? Is it really as bad as it seems? First, let’s address what fragmentation really is, and how it happens. As Google works to release new versions of Android, it’s up to the manufacturers of older phones to update those phones to the latest version of Android. Before a phone can be updated to the newest version of Android, like 4.0 for example, the update has to be reworked and customized for every individual phone a manufacturer plans on updating. After manufacturers rework the newest version of Android for every individual phone, carriers then have to add custom apps, preform tests and work to get rid of all the bugs to create a decent user experience. When Motorola only had the Droid and HTC only had the G1, myTouch and Hero, the process seemed fine enough. I don’t think Google anticipated Android taking off the way it did. Now, there are more manufacturers with more handsets than I care to name, with less employees than they need to get everything done. Manufacturers release so many phones at a consistent enough rate that they can’t possibly always upgrade every single one. Especially because as soon as a phone hits retail, they’re already working on the sequel to the phone. So new versions of Android come out, and manufacturers can’t or won’t update their older phones. And most consumers keep a phone for two years. Which means that in some cases, there are consumers out there who are actually still running versions of Android that are years upon years old. Take the latest Android version tracker updated by Google. A total of 2.9% of Android users are running a device with the newest version of Android, 4.0. Android 4.0 has been around for about five months now. Meanwhile, 6% of Android users are still stuck on Android 2.1, which first came out in 2009. Comparing Android 4.0 users to Android 2.1 users is a quick way to make the situation seem really, really bad. In all reality, 87% of Android users are using a device running 2.2 or 2.3. Which is pretty good. Whatever older version of Android you’re running, the outcome is still the same. I could go into the details of every single aspect of Android updates and what technical aspects those updates bring, but what I really want to take a look at is whether or not those things heavily impact the user experience of your average non-Android enthusiast. More often than not, the answer is no. The fact of the matter is, whether your phone is on 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, or 4.0, you can still make the same calls, send the same texts and run the same apps. Of course, there are exceptions to apps, but they go both ways. Some of the newest apps won’t work on older Android devices, and some older apps won’t work on newer devices. For the most part though, every single app in the Google Play store will work on at least 90% of the Android devices still being used today. That is the main reason why Google doesn’t think fragmentation is a big deal. And it’s the main reason why your average consumer has no idea what fragmentation even is. For the average user, it’s simply not that big of a deal. They don’t even know they don’t have the latest version of Android. So long as their phone works and can use all the latest apps, they will be fine. Of course, if you were to ask anyone using a device running an older version of Android if they’d like their phone to be faster or something similar, they’d say yes. But the same goes for anyone using a device running a newer version of Android as well. There’s a lot of factors involved when it comes to a phone’s performance and usually the version of Android you’re running is the least of your worries. When it comes to how the user interface looks, how many people out there really buy a device thinking, “hopefully, the operating system on this phone looks different some day.”? I’ve personally seen people get upset over their phone being updated and something looking different. Again, so long as everything functions as it should, most people could care less. Now before anyone loses it in the comments, it’s not like I support fragmentation. I throughly believe that Google and all of the manufacturers using Android need to get together and figure something out. Google needs to share the development process with manufacturers so they can get a head start on updates, and manufacturers need to release fewer devices. And service updates are totally different from major OS updates. I’ll save that for another post. Still, no matter how you look at it, running an older version of Android is not as big of a deal as you may have been led to believe. I know fragmentation is real hot topic issue among Android enthusiasts, so I’d love to know what you think. Is it going to be the death of Android? Am I out of touch here, does the average consumer really care about being stuck on Android 2.3, or do they have no idea? Let it all out in the comments.
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| Android: finally the sexy platform to develop for? Posted: 03 Apr 2012 01:33 PM PDT   Path's 2.0 Android application is just plain beautiful. Android has always been second to the races when it comes to triple-A applications and games like Instagram, Path or even Temple Run. These applications are usually developed by companies that choose to publish on iOS first and Android second, if ever at all. In the case of Path, the company waited for the revamp of their application to simultaneously launch version 2.0 on both Android and iOS. This worked out great for Path, showing a huge increase in users after launching on Android. Users on Android are rabid application hounds, as shown by the ever-increasing Play Store statistics for downloads and applications per user. With Path, Android didn’t have an “alternative social networking” application as gorgeous and as fluid as Path. With 2.0, Path showed the rest of the world that not only was developing for Android simple enough, you could also gain huge exposure and user counts by supporting the largest smartphone platform in the US. Then came along Temple Run, which dealt with different device issues and support at launch, but is updating the game in what seems like a weekly fashion, adding new device support along the way. The game itself is a huge hit on Android, boasting over 1 million downloads (at least) in the Play Store so far, merely over a week since launch. Before Imangi Studios announced that Temple Run was on the way for Android, tons of unofficial applications littered the Play Store, with some folks going so far as to posting applications named Temple Run that were really just malware titles. Now that the game has launched, other iOS developers are realizing that if one of the most successful iOS games of all-time can be on Android, why can’t others? The old argument of “fragmentation” is quickly becoming just an excuse.  Instagram for Android, out now. With today’s launch of Instagram, the stakes have never been higher. With over 30 million users in just 17 months, Instagram is a huge hit. No, it’s not the filters that makes the app so attractive to new users, it’s the exclusive social network that lives entirely on-device. Previously, Instagram was iOS-exclusive, but today’s launch enables any Android handset owner to sign up for Instagram and instantly reap the benefits of being a part of their bolstering 30 million-strong community. Before today, you couldn’t even sign up on their website – which is extremely bare bones, but for a reason – for an account, you had to have an iOS device or use your friend or family members’. With over 300 million Android devices, the potential for Instagram has never been bigger. With a solid app taking a few design cues (but not enough, some are arguing) from Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich standards, Instagram is the application to have on Android. If anything, the social network that is tied in is a blast to be a part of – even if you’re sick of Facebook and other intrusive social networks, like many of us are. So, the question is then: has Android finally wooed the hearts of developers of the top iOS applications? Angry Birds is on Android, and even struck an exclusive deal with Samsung for their latest game, Angry Birds Space. Will we be seeing other triple-A titles make their way to Android, with a lot less waiting? I think so. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a title that is overwhelmingly popular that doesn’t have an Android port or similar app. Instagram is just the start of a paradigm shift for Android, and is extremely important to the ecosystem in general. Having a hard time believing that? Checking Google+ shows all the big Android boys – Hugo Barra, Romain Guy, etc – promoting and getting excited for the launch of Instagram. As Dustin wrote extensively about yesterday, Android has a huge year ahead of it for 2012. With ICS rolling out to more devices as we speak, it’s only natural that these triple-A titles come not far after. Strap in folks, it’s going to be a great year to be an Android user.
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| Android Rumors Report: Nexus tablet, Samsung Galaxy S III, Tegra 4, HTC EVO One Posted: 03 Apr 2012 01:11 PM PDT  Welcome to another new weekly column where we round up all the Android-related rumors and discuss the validity of each one. Everyone seems to love our original rumor reports, but we thought it would be fun to examine the rumors from around the web and share our thoughts on the possibility of them coming true. Read on for this week's latest Android rumors. Is this the rumored Nexus tablet?
Rumor: Evan Blass of PocketNow received a leaked picture of an unknown Android device, which he suggest could be the rumored “Nexus tablet.” Our thoughts: We have been reporting on the rumored Nexus tablet for the last couple months, and now the Wall St. Journal is sharing new details of how Google plans to sell it. Our first rumor report suggested that the device would be similar to the ASUS MeMo 370T, but then other sources said that device had been abandoned in favor of a cheaper design. The MeMo 370T was supposed to retail for $249, but NVIDIA has already said that Tegra 3 tablets will approach $199 soon, and we said that the final price could drop to $149. The Wall St. Journal said Google was considering subsidizing the cost of the device to better compete with Amazon and their $199 Kindle Fire, so the final price could hit that magical $149 (or lower) price point where you see these devices sold at 7-Eleven stores. Looking at the device pictured above, we can see it appears to be your average 7-inch tablet. There are ports for micro USB, micro HDMI, SD card, and headphone jack. At the bottom of the device on the left side there appears to be a SIM card slot, but most people expect this device to be WiFi only. The docking and charging port is on the side of the device, along with two holes that would suggest a keyboard dock. ASUS is best know for their Transformer devices that feature optional keyboards, so it’s possible that Google wanted to integrate that feature. Since price is the main selling point with this device, we don’t expect the design to be that exciting. This leaked photo still features the Android Market so it’s likely a couple months old, but we think there is a chance it could still be real. Update: Evan Blass tells us we can knock down our probability percentage to near zero, as he believes the device pictured is an existing Toshiba 7.7 inch tablet. Probability: 0% The Galaxy S III will launch later than expected, in Q3 The wait is on. Rumor: Digitimes reports, “Sources in the supply chain said Samsung is likely to launch a 4.6 inch Galaxy S3 that has an increased pixel size of 319pp in the second or third quarter of 2012, and will use the Super AMOLED HD Plus panel.” Our thoughts: Samsung has previously said, “The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product.” Most people are expecting some kind of announcement in May or June, that is closer to availability, but there could still be a month or two lag before it hits retail stores, given the usual carrier delays. Previous rumors have already suggested the display size would be somewhere between 4.6-4.8 inches and use a new HD Super AMOLED Plus display, and that still looks likely. Samsung is focused on beating Apple’s next iPhone, so we don’t see them trying to push up the launch for no good reason. It sounds more likely that they would favor waiting until they had the best possible combination of hardware and software to create a totally new experience. Don’t be surprised if the Galaxy S III launches in the second half of 2012. Probability: 65% Galaxy Nexus comes to Sprint on April 22nd
Rumor: Dante D’Orazio of The Verge reports that the Galaxy Nexus will come to Sprint on April 15th. Our thoughts: Rumors from a couple of weeks ago suggested a release date of April 15th, but it’s no surprise to hear that a phone launch got pushed back by a week. Kellen of AndroidLife also reported that Sprint had begun training their employees on the Galaxy Nexus this week, so it’s looking more likely that the official launch date could be announced at any time. Probability: 85% Tegra 4 to feature a 64 core GPU
Rumor: Theo Valich of VR-Zone reports that NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 could feature 4-5x Cortex-A15 CPU cores, and 32-64 Kepler CUDA cores. Our thoughts: The last time we saw the official Tegra roadmap, NVIDIA told us Kal-El (Tegra 3) would be followed by Wayne, Logan, and Stark. No official announcements have been made surrounding Wayne, but NVIDIA has already hinted they would use Cortex-A15 when they announced their custom CPU core called Project Denver. A more recent leaked roadmap also reveals a new mobile processor called Grey, that would feature a similar design to Wayne, with the addition of NVIDIA’s Icera modem. We still expect to see Wayne arrive in 2012 and feature multiple Cortex-A15 CPU cores, but the GPU design has been a mystery. NVIDIA also hinted that their new Kepler architecture, found in desktop computer graphics cards, would make its way down to smartphones. NVIDIA likes to surprise their competitors and rumors of a 64 GPU cores go back to last year, so it’s highly likely we will see something much more advanced than the 12-core GPU found in Tegra 3. Probability: 65% Sprint will announce the HTC EVO One tomorrow
Rumor: Multiple sites report Sprint and HTC will announce the EVO One tomorrow. Our thoughts: The leaks keep increasing as we approach Sprint’s press event scheduled for April 4th in New York. The HTC One X was first rumored to come to Sprint, followed by news of an early June release, and last week we heard the device would hit stores with the name EVO One. Sprint is announcing a new HTC smartphone tomorrow, and we feel pretty comfortable with saying it will keep the EVO brand alive. Probability: 95% Got any juicy rumors?Find any hot Android-related rumors that we failed to cover? Just contact Taylor or leave a comment below and we will evaluate them next week.
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| Amazon Wireless sheds beta tag, adds price guarantee and $25 in premium apps Posted: 03 Apr 2012 11:19 AM PDT  Amazon Wireless is one of the best sources for deals on new Android devices as you’ve no doubt noticed if you follow the Android and Me Deals page. Typically the best deals are contingent on your signing up for a brand new contract rather than just upgrading, but I’ve often found their upgrade pricing to be $80-$100 off what you would shell out direct from your carrier so it’s almost always worth at least taking a look. In transitioning from the beta to a fully fledged service they are adding a couple new features to go along with the existing list of free two-day shipping, risk-free returns (30 days AT&T/14 days Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) and of course the instant discount. The first new feature is a best price guarantee that they will match a competitors (or their own) lower price within 14 days of your purchase. As usual with such things there are quite a few catches, not the least of which is that you have to notify them even if they change their own pricing, but it’s a nice addition regardless. The other new feature is a collection of free “premium apps” worth approximately $25. This one may sound familiar as they have had this offer associated with specific devices from time to time in the past. It seems that you will have some choice regarding these apps, but you will be selecting from a list and not simply receiving $25 to spend however you wish in the Amazon App Store. As always I’ll add the warning that Amazon Wireless buyers need to be wary of the extra early termination fees if they would decide to back out of their contract after a couple months, but if you are comfortable that you will stick with the contract this isn’t a real concern. Amazon Wireless has turned itself into a very compelling option in the mobile space over the last year and I’m glad to see Amazon is apparently going to stick with it.
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| Instagram now available on the Play Store Posted: 03 Apr 2012 08:44 AM PDT  Instagram is one of the hottest-anticipated Android apps to date, and after long wait is finally available on the Play Store. Android users can now join the tens of millions of iOS users on Instagram’s picture sharing service, and apply hipster filters to all their pictures and share with your favorite social network. “We've been working tirelessly to make this new Android app a first-class mobile photo-sharing experience. We've been meticulous about translating the Instagram experience to the Android platform. The Android app offers an extremely familiar Instagram experience when compared to the iOS app. You'll find all the same exact filters and community as our iOS version,” said Instagram in a blog post announcing the release. We’ll have a full review of the Android version of Instagram after we’ve had some time to play around with it. For now, be sure to share your impressions of Instagram for Android by dropping us a comment below. Gallery
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| Leaked press shot shows off the HTC EVO One from Sprint Posted: 03 Apr 2012 07:25 AM PDT  Tomorrow’s unveiling of the HTC EVO One is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait any longer to see what Sprint’s variant of the HTC One X will look like. PocketNow has managed to get its hands on a press release which they say depicts the HTC EVO One posing next to the AT&T HTC One X and the T-Mobile HTC One S. The design of the handset looks similar to the two HTC One devices, but it trades in a micro-drilled speaker holes at the top of the phone for a more traditional speaker grill and the display looks to have sharper edges giving it a looks which is reminiscent of previous HTC EVO devices. One other feature which stands out in the leaked image of the HTC EVO One is the presence of a dedicated camera button along the edge of the phone. Since HTC is putting such a huge focus on the HTC One’s camera abilities, we were actually surprised to see they didn’t include a physical shutter button on their other HTC One devices. Rumored specs for the HTC EVO One include a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.7-inch 720p HD display, 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, 16 GB of internal storage, 2650mAh battery, NFC, support for Sprint’s 4G LTE network and a kickstand. At this point it’s hard to say if all of the rumored specs will be included once the HTC EVO One is unveiled tomorrow afternoon, but Sprint has always worked hard with HTC to deliver handsets that are unique. What do you think of the design of the HTC EVO One? Do you like what Sprint and HTC have come up with or should they have stuck with the original design of the HTC One X?
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| Google and Oracle settlement talks stall, trial set for April 16th Posted: 03 Apr 2012 06:37 AM PDT  Settlement talks in the ongoing legal battle between Google and Oracle have stalled in the past few weeks. Just last week, Judge Paul S. Grewal asked the two companies to give settlement talks one last chance, requesting a final decision on the matter by April 9th. After a few days of talks, the companies have announced that they have reached an impasse, and a trial date has been set for April 16th in San Francisco. Oracle has accused Google of infringing upon various Java-related patents held by Oracle which the company claims are found in Google’s Android operating system. While several of Oracle’s charges against Google were thrown out by a judge back in May 2011, the meat of Oracle’s patent claims remain in tact and could spell a bit of trouble for Google. Google fights this claim by highlighting their close relationship with Sun Microsystems, the creators of Java which is now owned by Oracle. Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz fully approved Google’s use of Java in Android, a fact Oracle tried to sweep under the rug by hastily deleting Schwartz’s blog post on the matter. This led us and others to believe that Oracle wanted nothing more than to destroy Android, or at least earn as much money as it can off the Android platform. After a rejected settlement proposal from Google, which would have netted Oracle a share of Android’s revenue stream through 2018, the patent infringement issue will be settled in court later this month. We will, of course, bring you news of the case as it develops.
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