Google's Android - how come it's being adopted so easily?

The popularity of smart phones like the iPhone and blackberries has also given rise to a number of different mobile operating systems that allow various applications to work perfectly in a portable environment. There are several popular platforms currently being used, Symbian, Windows system, Android and iPhone, each comes with its own special features that make it suitable for running applications on mobile devices. These systems were first designed specifically to cater for the fast developing mobile phone technologies, but with the latest release of Apple’s iPad and the public interest surrounding portable tablets, software developers will probably start to focus in this new direction.

It is obvious that mobile technology is going to be the next big thing to hit the stores this year and Google being as forward thinking as ever have been preparing themselves by gradually developing their own mobile operating system. Instead of building state of the art communication devices like Apple did with the iPhone or their latest - iPad, Google has stuck to what they know best and stayed on the software side of things, developing their own mobile specific Google Android operating system. Some believe that Google’s Android platform is closing in fast on Apple’s iPhone OS, in terms of popularity it offers simple and fast usability and given some time it should have a good group of software developers churning out top shelf applications for all types of mobile products.

The main advantage that the Android OS has over Apple’s version is its open source nature; Google has allowed its own team to invite developers from around the world to participate in the creation of new software. This freedom has allowed the development of a range of innovative applications that may not have been thought up if it was left to a single team of Google’s staff sitting in a back room. One example of a joint effort software that also demonstrates some of the Android platforms qualities is ‘Cab4me’, an application that takes a GPS reading of your current location then searches through a database of taxi companies in your area giving you a list of possibilities.

Some believe that the Google Android OS will prove to be Apple’s main competition for popularity and users, though it still has a long way to go if it wants to match the iPhone’s smooth usability. Several big name electronics brands are set to release their own versions of the iPad and most have chosen to do so with the Android OS at the heart of their devices. So what features does the latest Android system have and why is it causing such a stir? They're certainly not new, but they are exceptionally usable, they look nice and they compliment very well the hardware side of things.

Accounts and Contacts – The android OS has been optimized for better storage and access to contact and account information; you can add more than one email account on any mobile device and synchronize the account information. There is improved account access capability, simply tap an icon and you’ll be taken straight to the relevant email account. All of the above can be done from a single page.  

Messaging – Optimized SMS and MMS search functions allow users to find old messages; there is also the ability to selectively delete SMS entries once a set limit has been reached to save overall memory space.

Virtual Keyboard – A new layout for ease of use and faster typing speeds, there is multi touch support that ensures the key you want to press is registered. Built in dictionary learns new words and helps with an automatic spell check.

Internet Browser – Supports HTML , has a double tap zoom function for getting close ups of difficult to see text and images, also book marks with thumb nailed images.  

Gizmodo's battle over the lost phone

As we've already written here, there is an opinion that Apple's struggle with the lost and found phone has the potential of being just a very new way of advertising the new 4G phone. However, over the last few days, the plot thickened for Gizmodo's editor, Jason Chen. Apple filed a complaint with the local California police and because of this his home has been searched and equipment has been seized by the police in the attempt to find out whether he committed a crime because he purchased the phone for $5000 as Gizmodo admitted they did upfront.

While there is a whole discussion about journalistic ethic, of whether it was nice or not that money was payed for the phone, the question of criminal allegations seems ridiculous at least as seen from Europe. In the end if you look at the issue, all the guy did was find some material to write about. Was it OK to spend $5000 for it? Why not? It was a hot product and he needed it! He didn't buy THE STORY, he acquired the material on which the story is based, so I don't even see an ethical problem here.

I think it is obvious for everybody that Chen won't be prosecuted and this is just a little harassment tactic, but I can't help notice that this story keeps generating headlines which are indeed very good if Apple is preparing a iPhone 2 or iPhone 4G launch. Apple has every interest to make this story bigger so I think they will go as far as they can with the legal fiasco. Of course, Chen could be in on the plot, in which case ethics would be a big issue, but personally I think he's just being used. Time will tell.

Not enough IPads available? Apple's got help! :)

Well, it seems that since the demand of IPad tablets exceeded Apple's expectations and they are rushing to fill in the gap, there is some unwanted help on the way! The Chinese, as always quick to help the world, have already produced and are selling bootleg IPads. The fake IPads have apparently a pirated Windows copy powering them (go figures!) and are only an approximate shape of the original.
However, the sellers of these weird Apple/MS contraptions are sure they would improve on the hastily assembled device and will copy it better in the coming weeks. For the moment sales seem to be going very well, especially since it seems this device has three USB ports and is cheaper than the original! At least for a very small window of opportunity (until Apple manages to catch up and supply the demand worldwide) a prospective buyer of Apple's IPad should take care of any bargains being offered :)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042602980.html

How oversharing things can ruin your life

Or maybe it's not a best idea to tell the world everything you do every minute!

Let's face it if you spend your day twitting and facebooking and have hundreds of followers and friends (wow - you're popular) chances are some of those might not be so well intentioned. I know of a recent case in which a someone posted on facebook a message venting about a fight they had with their boss. While this might seem a legitimate way of venting, perhaps it would be wise do it the old fashioned way - in front of a mug of beer and some live friends. I don't have to add the obvious: the boss saw the post (it was public!) and the situation was at least embarrasing. It could've been worse.

Recently I saw a piece of news about a new startup service called blippy. The idea behind it is that you register your credit cards with it and every time you make a payment they share it with your friends. While technically sound, I don't know for the life of me why on earth you would use such a service. Of course, some retailers decided to include credit-card numbers in their statements and voila - these got leaked into the internet via Google's cache (read the article above to know more on how this happened). Ok - it might have been an accident, but the question remains - why would you want to share so much?

Is it absolutely necessary to tell everyone that is out there that you are going to the bathroom? Is it absolutely required that someone named terribleivan82777 knows you just purchased a new phone? (and find out your credit card details in the process?). Do you have to tweet EVERYTHING?

Hubble Telescope at 20: NASA Astronomers' Top Photos

Since today is 20 years since Hubble telescope went up, here's a link to some amazing photos everyone should look at while taking time off from their gadgets. Or you can check them out on your gadget!

Hubble Telescope at 20: NASA Astronomers' Top Photos

Apple's lost phone

Presumably some two weeks ago a careless Apple engineer went to a bar wearing a top-secret Apple gadget (the next generation iPhone). He got drunk (or just dizzy) and left the bar without the aforementioned gadget. Some other patron found it and handed it back to the wrong person. Then someone in the crowd realized there was something amiss with this phone.
Long story short, the phone made its way to the Gizmodo headquarters (in exchange for 5000$ as they claim) where it was properly disected and inverstigated (here). Apple's official response was to write an official letter to Gizmodo asking for the phone back.

This episode has been widely related and most commentators are just astonished at this terrible Apple mistake. However, one (or at least I) cannot but think wether the whole thing wasn't just Steve Job's latest marketing stunt. Ever since he showed off the first iPod some years ago, the man demonstrated a keen sense of showmanship. But iPhone is a product that has been around for some time and generating the hype for a second version is not as easy as the first time around. Nothing better that a stunt like this to get the buzz going, isn't it? And the luck to find someone to spot a different iPhone which looks almost identical to the old one is at least suspicious! Not to mention it getting to Gizmodo and the apparent convenient imposibility for Apple to track it down before it being disected by the guys there (for those who don't know iPhone has an application capable of traking phones and even shutting them down remotely).

While obviously nobody can argue to be sure this was a well thought out publicity campaign, I for one suspect it was. If the secret was so great I just don't understand why would Apple allow its employees (I assume it wasn't just one lonlely forgetful sap) to walk outside the company with prototype phones?

Adobe and Apple in fight over flash

That the giant Apple's newest gadget - the IPAD - has a few notable high profile missing things we've talked about before. However, it transpires that at least one of these features - that is Flash integration is missing intentionally. Allegedly, Adobe demonstrated that it is possible to run Flash on an IPAD, but this functionality has been disabled "by design".

Recently Adobe announced publicly it abandoned the plans to make Flash work on the Apple IPAD. Mike Chambers, wrote that because of the obvious attempt made by Apple to ban the use of Flash on their device, the Flash team will concentrate on making Flash available to all Apple's competitors, citing the Android operating system.
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/194764/why_adobe_abandoned_iphone_flash_app_plans.html

My oppinion is that Apple is making a huge mistake here. It is allowing it's competitors an advantage in the long run, because let's face it: Flash is present to some degree on around 50% of important websites. If Apple thinks these websites will change their look for IPAD's sake it's probably a bad case of too much self-confidence! Two options here. Either Apple will reconsider in a future software update or will lose market share to less polished but more permissive competitors.

Why iPad doesn't have all the perks? Should I buy and IPAD now?

Apple's done it again - like the iPOD, iPhone, but now ... bigger.

 When you talk to people in marketing and with managers in general you almost invariably understand that a product's success is generated by the market buzz created around it. Now it might have been calculated or not, but the simple fact that Apple's newest gadget - the IPAD - doesn't have all the normal things you'd expect it to have (USB, camera, flash support) might just have generated more of that beneficial buzz. In my view, Apple played it's cards very well:

1. Launched a gadget everybody wants, but with missing features that most people would need. Generated all the buzz possible around their product
2. Will wait for competitors to spring up like mushrooms with all sorts of replicas
3. Then will hit the market with IPAD 2 or IPAD reloaded or whatever the name with all the features included

Now of course this will generate a second wave of purchases from the original buyers captivated by the IPAD charisma AND from those who bought other tablets (WePad comes to mind or the one from HP). To answer the question in the title, it would probably be very wise to wait until the hype subsides and competition catches up and the second version of IPAD hits the shelves. However, like most technology geeks I am about to run out and shell 500$+ for the current IPAD.