Posted: October 15th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2.0, Android, att, cupcake, donut, eclair, Eric Schmidt, g1, Google, motorola, rumor, t-mobile, verizon | No Comments »
If there’s one thing that Android Bakery is about, it’s giant foam pastries being dropped on Google’s lawn, and apparently the customary giant eclair has made its grand debut.
I’m going to make two predictions, one a longshot, one more logical.
Here are the factors adding up:
1.) Verizon’s Getting an Android phone (and we now know Eric Schmidt’s boner for Verizon)
2.) At the Google earnings call late in the day today, Eric Schmidt says, “Android adoption is about to explode.”
3.) …on the same day the giant Eclair lands?
Prediction one (longshot) Verizon is getting the first Android 2.0 phone.
I mean, they only released the Donut SDK last month…and we first heard about that in May. BUT if you remember, as I’m sure you do, they showed off all the Donut features at Google I/O not even one month after the big foam Cupcake dropped and all our G1s updated.
It’s too early in Android’s lifespan to be able to predict these kind of trends, but dropping a comically huge representation of the OS’s codename is about as obvious a hint as you could hope to receive. Something with Eclair is going to happen very soon.
What sucks is that we don’t know anything about Eclair, really. So that leads me to my second, and probably more likely prediction:
Verizon and AT&T will be getting their Android phones at the same time as Sprint and T-Mobile gets their new devices, summarily “exploding” the OS onto all United States carriers with four new devices…then after the five minutes of pants-pooping is over, and tons of new Android users are born, we’ll get to see an early build of Eclair to tease the new users with sick new upcoming features.
Also, Michael Arrington commented on the article I linked to above, saying he’s seen a new Android device that’ll “blow everyone away.” (I could have the quote wrong, but that’s the gist of it.) I’m hoping it’s Rachael from Sony Ericsson, because that looks really hot. But hell, it could be something even better.
All of this, combined with the daily media coverage making the “duh!” prediction that Android is on its way to market domination make it a very good time to be an Android early adopter, and everyone who’s going through the 528MHz generation right now has my personal permission to refer to himself as an “O.G.”
…or something less dorky.
Posted: September 10th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, cliq, dext, DroidLive, g1, glass, Google, hero, htc, iphone, listen, morrison, motoblur, motorola, palm, pandora, reasons, rosie, screen, slider, t-mobile, touch, why buy | 2 Comments »
AndroidGuys is a solid site.
Amid the hue and cry of today’s Motorola Android news, they’ve made a post saying “We want to hear what you think of the Motorola Cliq and MOTOBLUR.”
Well, I’ll tell you what attracts me to the Cliq in order of importance:
1.) Glass Screen–the G1′s screen is just too sticky. Glass has just enough friction to feel good, and it totally enhances the touch experience, not to mention adds stability to the entire unit.
2.) Boosted RAM–even though it’s only a minor bump, it’s totally something that will make a noticeable difference in day to day use.
3.) Solid Chassis– This is the only thing I consistently favor about the iPhone, and if this is anywhere in that neighborhood, the Cliq will have improved on all my biggest complaints about the G1.
4.) 3.5mm headphone jack–Self explanatory: I use the MP3 player, DroidLive, Listen, and now Pandora and I DESPISE the usb headset. I will dedicate a rant to this in the near future.
5.) Keyboard–it may not be as powerful as the HTCHero*, but it’s the second ‘droid phone on T-Mobile with a keyboard.
6.) Exclusive UI—Not that I particularly have a need for social networking 24 hours a day, but I am interested in the UI design since it’s been compared to HTC’s Rosie/SenseUI, which I totally dig.
Naturally, I want to handle it before I decide to buy it…but it’s beginning to look like this is what I’ll be picking up in the fall.
It’s not a phone to die for by any stretch, but it certainly would be an improvement over the G1, aside from the move from a trackball to a D-pad, which would only take a matter of time to get used to.
Posted: August 31st, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, android market, app, checkout, criticism, games, gaming, Google, iphone, itunes, labs, larva, larva labs, market, paypal, PC, store, techcrunch | 4 Comments »
Read this article and then hit “Back.” I’ll wait.
….
Welcome back. I know that is just the stupidest way to start a blog entry, but you’ll have to forgive me, I was a bit irked at that article. It is supposed to be a suggestion to Google, I guess, because it does end on a favorable note. But seriously, there was one thing that upset me about it:
Larva’s Matt Hall attributes this poor performance in part to Android’s shoddy App purchase flow. Unlike the iPhone’s integrated App Store, Android Market doesn’t have screenshots of apps, forces you into the browser at times, makes you use Google Checkout, has some unintuitive navigation issues, and a handful of other problems. These issues are widely known — you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks the purchase process is as smooth as it is on the iPhone — but they’ve been around for quite a while.
What’s wrong with Google Checkout? It has improved a ton in the three years it’s existed, and comparing a fully functional multi-way transaction system with a simple dedicated merchant site is just silly. You can tie in Google Checkout with your Adsense/Adwords account, you can use it to sell shit online. iTunes is just a money hole..real tough to get right in six years.
Furthermore, the Android Market does not really exist anywhere that’s visible on a non-phone platform. Yeah, there’s the site, but that’s not at all what the market really looks like. The iPhone app store has iTunes, which extends the App Store’s sphere of influence into the desktop OS realm.
Also…I don’t know if you’ve ever spent a great deal of time shopping for apps directly on an iPhone, but if you pick up your iPhone or iPod right now and look at an app’s dedicated site…just pick one at random, it doesn’t matter.
Okay, what’s missing from the first page that is FRONT AND CENTER in the Android Market?
User reviews.
And you wonder why this developer sold more in the iTunes App Store? People are sold by the description and the screenshots. They have to click over to another page to read user reviews. The Android Market, meanwhile has user reviews right up front…however nescient they may be. Developers have to deal with the idiot masses right out of the gate, people who wouldn’t know open source from a third degree burn.
Actual front page review of Larva Labs’ Retro Defence: “Good, but not worth $5.00″
Look around elsewhere. Notice that customer reviews are almost always put at the bottom or on other pages? No wonder you’re not selling as much as you could.
And as for “unintuitive navigation features” that this guy is talking about, I have no idea. I’ve never found myself wildly floundering for direction in the Android Market. Games and Productivity apps are separate. You can see them by popularity or by date uploaded…click on the one you want to look at and then click “buy” then hit “ok.” It’s not fucking celtic runes, get over it.
I absolutely agree that the Android Market is not perfect. The first thing I’d change is the white on black color scheme*. No sites designed for consumption on a phone should do that, it makes the screen reflective and harder to read (see: Mirror app.) I also agree that screenshots are needed to entice buyers.
But criticizing it for Google Checkout is completely dumb. iTunes is not a bank, PayPal is not a bank, so they’re all about equally vulnerable. I won’t even get started about basing an assessment of the Android Market’s prosperity on the FIFTH PLACE company. You can’t base ANYTHING on that. At least if we contacted the top seller, you could set a ceiling. Come on.
You can’t tell me how long a race lasted by the fifth and twelfth place contestants. You can’t even tell me if it was good.
Black-on-White Android Market
*According to CNet today,
this is already in the works.
Posted: August 28th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Apps, Uncategorized | Tags: Android, app, DroidLive, iphone, live, shoutcast, SPB, streaming, symbian, TV, windows mobile | No Comments »
Today, a $9.95 streaming TV app hit the Android Market that has seriously blown me away.
SPB TV 1.0 has got a whole bunch of channels (the press release today says 100+ in 20+ languages,) an awesome interface, an integrated programming guide, picture-in-picture and the ability to set calendar reminders for upcoming shows.
Screenshot from SPB TV
I don’t generally seek out live streams of anything. Like I’ve said in prior posts, I listen to Web radio and stuff (the DroidLive ShoutCast client is great, by the way) but I’m much more a fan of on-demand streaming.
However, SPB TV has really grabbed me. It’s that slick.
The app has been around already on Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian S60 3rd ed. On those platforms, however, the app is much larger and slightly more expensive: 5MB and $14.95…the Android app is only .6MB and $9.95. Either it’s missing some of the functionality of the other platforms, or we’ve got ourselves a fantastic little app here. (We’ve also gotten it before iPhone…but that’s not so surprising, right?)
I’m actually going to go watch it a bit more, and I’ll update this post with further assessments. Right now I’m giving this a tentative “buy” rating even though i’m not totally sure I’ll ever actually use it.
I may just be enamored that it looks so good and actually kind of works.
Posted: August 24th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, app, ben, cab, cutie, death, for, gibbard, napster, postal, radio, rhapsody, service, spotify, store, streamfurious | 1 Comment »
Rhapsody for iPhone is going to remain a big deal until it gets approved or rejected. That’s like half the damn fun with the iTunes App store lately. But nestled in Real’s press release this morning was the mention of a Rhapsody app for Android. I’m sure I won’t be the first person on the Internet to say thank Christ.
The music industry loves subscription services like children love things that scare the shit out of them, and if we can have streaming subscription services to our mobile devices, that’s practically a reinvention of radio, and that’s how the Fuckedcompany that is the music industry will come back.
You can also think of these services as “music utility companies,” which may be upsetting to some of you…but probably not to musicians and record labels. Some people think it’s going to happen to news, too. Shit, News Corp. already said they’re going to start charging for all of their news sites…but I have digressed enough.
I don’t love Rhapsody. In fact, I fucking hate Rhapsody. I went to their download shop launch event in NYC with Ben Gibbard (guy from Death Cab for Cutie/Postal Service) and their people were literally nowhere to be found…presumably they were already drinking and watching the show. I had exactly ONE drink before they ended open bar and I had to listen to shitty acoustic versions of shitty Postal Service songs that I hated eight years ago. Then after the show ended, everyone milled around and socialized and I had no idea who I was supposed to meet with because it was so dark and loud and half the crowd was leaving.
I realize that has nothing to do with the service whatsoever, so I’m going to shift things and say when they release their Android App, I’ll give them a fair shake.
But I subscribe to Napster. I joined up for a Betanews review, figuring it was $5 and not a big deal, and I’ve stayed with it since then. It’s probably been almost five months. It’s not great, but it’s proven useful…and if they released an Android app, I’d be pretty happy.
I talked to them today, and they said that they are “looking into making the service available in as many places as possible, including the iPhone,” but they didn’t mention Android. They said they’d keep me posted. Until then, i’ll just have to completely obliterate my battery listening to StreamFurious and consuming “traditional” radio.
Posted: August 20th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, app, fun, g1, Geek, international, iphone, music, national, newton, npr, old, phone, podcast, pre, pri, public, radio, time | No Comments »
It took me a while to get into podcasts…like very long…like I had an iPod for 3 years before I even considered checking any out. And this is coming from a guy who runs errands on Saturday mornings just so he can listen to Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and This American Life in close succession. This is coming from a guy who would subject his bandmates to old tapes of Johnny Dollar and Nero Wolfe when on tour.
So, long story short, it took me a while, but I eventually learned that I love podcasts. However, using mp3 players without their own wireless connection kind of makes the acquisition of podcasts a little bit tiresome…especially if you don’t use iTunes. So being able to get them wirelessly as soon as they come out is probably one of my top five favorite media conveniences. It’s definitely up there with Kindle whispernet shopping and Netflix Instant streaming. (I’ll think of a couple more later.)
I used DoggCatcher for a while when the app was still pretty new, but it really sucked the battery, sucked up resources, the interface was crap, and there was no easy method of content discovery. On top of all that, they started charging for the full version. It was at that point that I uninstalled it. I haven’t had a podcatcher on my phone since then.
check that out!
So I’m stoked on
Google Listen, the new Android-exclusive podcatching app in Google Labs. Like most of Google’s stuff, it’s simple and straightforward. You search for podcasts you already know, download them, subscribe to them, or stream them instantly. On 3G you can get a good chunk of a podcast listened to, but once you hit the spot where it would normally pause to buffer, it actually starts all the way over again and you can’t jump back to where you were interrupted. It’s an annoyance, but they’ll fix it…they’re Google.
You can also discover new content by browsing through recent and most popular searches, or by entering topical search terms. For example, if you don’t know exactly which show you want to listen to, but you want it to be about some current event, just type in the event or the date. It’s a good use of search. I suppose it may actually be more a search tool than a podcatcher, but I haven’t decided yet. I have only been using it for one day.
Like the title of this post says, if it’s made by Google, even as a Lab, you can expect a certain degree of awesomeness.
Scan this to download Google Listen!
Humorously, In the Listen FAQ, it asks: “Will Listen work on my iPhone, Palm Pre, or Newton?”
Jokes.
Posted: August 20th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, antivirus, app, botnet, droidsecurity, Mobile, security | No Comments »
I’m skeptical about mobile security, and I’ll probably remain so until I get heinously infected with some malware that requires an OS reinstall…which, as far as I know, is really fucking annoying on a phone.
A few months ago, I wrote about how security providers are always running up and telling us that we’re gravely in danger, and how you sort of become numb to it. Of course you’re telling me I need Antivirus on my phone, it’s the product you’re known for making. I mean, do I look to the umbrella salesman for weather updates?
But ultimately, a compromised phone could be way more than just an annoyance. Someone could steal all your info, way beyond the stuff that the bank and phone company can protect. Think about that whole thread of sexts with that married person you had that little “thing” with, or all your calendar data listing when your kid is at a baby sitter…it’s fodder for humiliation or even worse, extortion. Or, your phone could be a part of a mobile botnet used to bring down Twitter for the forty millionth time this year. THAT WOULD BE TRAGIC!
But enough terror husbandry*, we’ve got phone stuff to talk about.
This week, DroidSecurity unveiled their $4.99 Internet Security Suite…a product it’s billing as “the first full-featured consumer anti-malware and physical security app for Google’s Android operating system.”
I don't know why the Sheriff would have a bandit mask on.
It comes with several components: VirusFree and VirusFree Pro for cleaning up malware, viruses and junk SMS, CheckMate, your average profile-based malware database, and FindR, a tool for tracking lost or stolen phones with the ability to run a remote memory wipe.
For some reason, all these components are listed separately on the DroidSecurity site, and FindR is listed as costing $20….I looked at that and was like “yeah..sure,” until I checked further and the whole thing is, in fact only $4.99. It’s a reasonable price if you’re genuinely afraid of having your phone compromised or if you want to have a remote killswitch for your device in case its stolen and your SD card happens to have several dozen naked pictures of yourself.
I saved my $4.99, though….well…not true. I saved $2.00 of it because I actually bought the Electrum Drum machine instead. That’s just me though, I’ll let you know how that goes later.
*NOTE: I intentionally avoid the term “FUD,” as I loathe it. As you read this blog, you’ll become acquainted with the many, many terms that I hate. Usually, they’re cliches, abbreviations, and convenient expressions that replace linguistic invention. Hence, my advocacy of the neologism “Sext.”)
Posted: August 18th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, eNV, iphone, keyboard, LG, real estate, screen | No Comments »
…So the G1 may not be updated beyond Cupcake (Android 1.5)…
As an Android early adopter, I do not feel screwed. Do I care that I shelled out all that money for the G1 just to watch it get put out to pasture in less than a year? Nope. I can’t imagine that any other G1 owner would really be that upset either.
Know why?
Because we didn’t want the G1 when we bought it. We wanted the first Android phone. We wanted the first Google phone, and we got both of those things. If anything, the G1/Dream actually made the whole experience worse for a lot of people.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the phone, I really do, and I am now painfully attached to the keyboard/trackball layout. But overall it’s janky and I now have a legitimate reason to shop for a new phone. The first one on my list is the Motorola Sholes simply because it has a keyboard and there more Android devices without one.
I understand that a physical keyboard lends to a phone’s overall creakiness, and the iPhone is therefore built like a goddamn rock. My G1, on the other hand, cracked to shit when I dropped it once and it feels all wobbly most of the time. But I simply do not wish to sacrifice the already tiny screen real estate (and use a soft keyboard) for the sake of a stronger chassis.
I mean, are you nuts? People and their virtual keyboards, man. How fucking small of a screen do you want?
Your virtual keyboard cuts the workspace down to 1 inch. Good Job.
Knowing this, how can you honestly consider an onscreen keyboard a viable interface? Couldn’t they have come up with some kind of stupid gesture-related “handwriting recognition” alphabet like the old Palm Pilots used to have? I mean, ONE INCH OF WORKSPACE….your screen is about this big:
This doesn't look so awesome for running apps.
Now I know these two devices end up having the same real estate because I have both of them and I measured. The LG eNV is actually a o.9″ so I rounded up, and the iPhone’s screen space in notepad and messaging was 1.1″ so I rounded down.
I know Motorola hasn’t had a killer phone since the RAZR, but I’m putting a lot of stock in the Sholes, since it’s one of the only Android Phones in the near term that has a keyboard.
Posted: August 17th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
There are two stereotypical gear snobs whom I cannot suffer listening to: photo snobs and audiophiles. Therefore, I absolutely love when snobby low-tech trends get blown up and turned into cheap gimmicks that any 12 year-old can reproduce on a high tech device.
One of these trends from a few years ago was the plastic lens Holga camera. It creates these spacy, blurry and quite aesthetically pleasing photos. Just check out the Toy Camera Pool on Flickr to see what i’m talking about. However, one hipster’s brilliant artistic discovery eventually turned into a product available at every Urban Outfitters shop, and now that has been quite faithfully reproduced on a very tasteful camera app for Android called FXCamera (by YMST)
Without even getting into FXCamera’s smooth interface and highly customizable nature, let’s just have a look at what it does by default:
FXCamera's "Toy Camera" setting.
Looks pretty 1970′s doesn’t it? You can just imagine what it would do with wood paneling or an orange shag carpet in the picture.
FXCamera's "PolaNDroid" setting
Again…more 70′s. It’s the perfect filter if you’re growing an ironic moustache. Unfortunately, I don’t have the patience to grow one or else I’d prove it. I gave it an honest shot for about two weeks and I realized that it would not be ironic when it came in. It would be the medal of perseverance for enduring weeks of people telling me to shave and girls not talking to me. There should be a club for dudes with red or blonde hair and moustaches. We could have meetings where we sit around looking creepy.
"Fisheye" setting in FXCamera
This is a photograph of handbags. But ideally, this would be used to shoot a photo of a skateboarder so he could say, “Holy shit, did I really ollie that high?” and you could sigh and tell him yes and that he should probably send it to Thrasher’s Photograffiti. My friend Josh snapped a picture with a disposable camera that got in there one time, so hey…you never know. Keep shooting for the stars, kids.
FXCamera's "Andy Warholizer"
Here’s one that really serves no purpose. They throw this filter onto practically every Webcam’s software, and I’ve never heard anyone go “Look at this fantastic picture of my dog rolling in shit in the style of Andy Warhol!” Well. I tell a lie…because that’s what this picture is.
Over the weekend, the devs added “normal” mode, which lets you pick your filter (normal, mono, sepia, negative, posterize, solarize), all the run-of-the-mill filters on your desktop photo editing freeware. It is cool to have on your phone, though.
"Normal" mode
I think this is “Solarize.” I never bothered to learn the difference between that and “Posterize,” because they’re both only useful if I want to look like I dropped my camera in an oil slick.
BOTTOM LINE: This is a super smooth app. It did not crash, the interface is attractive and it’s highly customizable. Though I don’t know how often I’ll use any of these, it’s good to know I have the option to switch to super blown out color camera mode just in case I need to snap a picture of me and Ian Svenonius or Cedric Bixler-Zavala when I run into them at the used book store.
Posted: August 13th, 2009 | Author: TimConneally | Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
It’s an odd proposition, a Dell phone… If you would have come to me ten years ago and said Apple was making a phone, I’d probably have imagined something that looked like a white Computer Space cabinet.
Yet, ever since rumors of a Dell phone started circulating early last year, I mentally pictured pretty much exactly what it turned out looking like: A big old black box with the god-awful Dell “crooked-E circle” emblazoned hugely on the back.
But because I had already expected it to look a certain way, I became skeptical that it was created after the fact to “look like something Dell would make,” you know? Here’s what I’m talking about:
They look like they came out of the same Dell vagina.
I slapped together a picture from Boy Genius Report today and a picture of the Dell XPS Studio 13. Tell me that doesn’t look eerily similar. If someone faked this, it’s a pretty lousy job because the roots are showing. But, as Greg Graffin famously said, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction…because as far as everyone’s saying, this monster is real.
It’s supposedly being released on China Mobile under the code name “Benzine” (not to be confused with Benzene, which is probably a major component in it, as a plastic hunk of shit) and will supposedly run the Android-based “OMS” platform. It’ll be one of those “oPhones” you may have heard about.
Here are the specs that everybody’s reporting:
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE class 12
Size: 68.6cc
103g grams weight
Dimensions: 58 x 122 x 11.7mm
Display: 3.5″ nHD 640×360 LCD, 18-bit, 262K colors
OTA capable
Microsoft Exchange support
Google, AIM, Yahoo and MSN IM support
3 megapixel auto-focus, flash, 8x digital zoom camera with 30fps video shooting mode, built in photo editor
USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
A-GPS
On-screen QWERTY keyboard, hardwriting recognition, multi touch UI
MicroSD slot
It’s ugly…and the OMS UI is ridiculous. I’d go so far as to call it “bofungly,” a term my comic book geek friend once scribbled in one of my drawing books when we were coming up with ideas for super heroes.
China Mobile hired Wavy Gravy to do the UI.
It’s nothing short of a miracle the icons aren’t dancing bears. Thank God Android is skinnable…I assume the ability will be retained in OMS. It is “Open” after all (but it is China, so yeah.)
Despite all of this, why do I still want it?
It’s like when I see people “working” on their laptops at Barnes and Noble or Starbucks, they’re either on a Mac or on a Dell. And you know what I think when I see those people? Mac = Pretentious, Dell = Dork. I don’t think of the computing power or monetary value of their computer. It could be the $999 macbook and a $3,000 XPS and I’d still feel the same way.
Dell says “dork” and I closely identify with that.
Does that make me weird?
