Posted by Chris on under gps features, open source developers, software development kit, veriz, party developers, google, phe, t mobile, menti, iphe, last november, subsidy, obstacles, apps, sprint, flexibility, third party, ing, phes, subscriber | 
When Google last year unveiled Android, its open-source mobile phone platform, I published an article titled, Android vs. iPhone: Will the Google Phone Be an iPhone Killer?
At the time, before iPhone 2.0, it looked like Android had a good shot at taking down the iPhone, for several reasons:
- Android phones were set to be priced around $200, while the iPhone at the time was priced at a minimum of $400 (for the 4GB model).
- Because Android is open-source, developers can freely create applications for the phones. When I wrote my article last November, Apple had not yet released a software development kit for the iPhone, so any third-party applications on iPhone were unauthorized.
- Apple signed a contract with AT&T binding the iPhone in the United States to the wireless company for five years, while Google’s Android phones will be built by various manufacturers and supported by many carriers.
Add to that the fact that when I wrote the article, there was still no mention of 3G data speeds or GPS being on the iPhone.
iPhone 2.0: A lot’s changed in half a year
Apple is not oblivious to Android’s potential, so it looks like they’ve stepped up their game to take on Google with iPhone 2.0.
The 2nd-generation iPhone will cost $200-$300 — discounted by an AT&T iPhone subsidy that will lose the wireless company money.
The App Store on iPhone 2.0 will let third-party developers distribute their own apps. Plus the new iPhone will have 3G and GPS features.
Still some obstacles remain:
1. iPhone is bound to AT&T for another four years
What was Apple thinking signing a five-year contract in such a fast-moving industry? While Google dominates the subscriber bases of T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint, iPhone will be stuck in a cage with AT&T.
2. iPhone is not open source
Open-source means greater flexibility. A 100% open-source handset powered by Android will have large communities behind it, working to improve every aspect of the phone.
iPhone, on the other hand, will have only Apple behind it. Of course, there will be the upcoming App Store, which gives developers some freedom to distribute their applications. But such a setup is far from open source. That’s why I think that to compete with Google, Apple will have to work to make the future of iPhone as open as possible.
3. iPhone has only one look
It may come a time when the iPhone will become so trendy that people won’t want to buy one and fit into the crowd. Would you feel funny if you were sitting at a dinner table, and all six people in your party had iPhones?
The handset hardware that will carry the Android platform will be built by several companies in Google’s Open Handset Alliance. So people will be able to have their own unique phones, but all powered by Android software.
On the other hand, it might work out in Apple’s favor for the iPhone to maintain a consistent design. That could give it a more memorable brand identity than Google’s Android, which will not have one iconic look like that of the iPhone.
Android vs. iPhone: Which is the better phone?
Hai of Mobile Madness points out a few things Android developers can do to dominate the iPhone:
- Make software distribution decentralized, but organized so that application distribution can become viral.
- Improve and encourage consistency of design among Android applications.
- Target third-world countries.
— Hai on What Android needs to do to compete with iPhone
All of these are good strategies that either company could follow, and they show the expanse of opportunities that have arisen in this now-revolutionized mobile phone industry.
I think at this point, considering Google’s history of successful products, it’s anyone’s game.
But iPhone 2.0 is without-a-doubt much better equipped to handle Android than the old iPhone was.
iPhone or Android? What do you think?
Which is the better phone? I would love to hear your opinion in the comments.
Tagi: gps features, open source developers, software development kit, veriz, party developers, google, phe, t mobile, menti, iphe, last november, subsidy, obstacles, apps, sprint, flexibility, third party, ing, phes, subscriber
Posted by on under 800mhz processor, trackpad, google, qwerty, slider, mail, oop, 2pm, instinct, november 1, sammy, samsung, sprint, press release, alg, nbsp |
Samsung just accidentally leaked a Sprint-bound Android QWERTY slider called the Moment in an otherwise totally boring press release about its OLED handset lineup -- it'll have an 800MHz processor, a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen, optical trackpad and a 3.2 megapixel camera. We're guessing this is the long-rumored
"high-end" InstinctQ, but we're not sure why Sprint and Sammy have dropped the Instinct branding in favor of Moment. Samsung has a press event scheduled for 2PM EST, so we're guessing we'll find out more shortly -- stay tuned. Follow the break for live shots!
Update: Oop -- Sprint just
posted its PR ahead of the event as well, along with
a pre-registration page. Yep, the Moment is indeed the InstinctQ. Pricing will be $179 on a two-year contract after $50 instant savings and a $100 mail-in rebate when it launches November 1. Oh, and there's no TouchWiz here after all -- that's
another hyped manufacturer UI shelved in favor of "With Google" branding. Interesting.
Continue reading Samsung Moment slider coming to Sprint, packing Android (update: official, $179)
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung Moment slider coming to Sprint, packing Android (update: official, $179) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tagi: 800mhz processor, trackpad, google, qwerty, slider, mail, oop, 2pm, instinct, november 1, sammy, samsung, sprint, press release, alg, nbsp
Posted by on under industry norms, phes, veriz, fri, liking, unge, ly, handset, blackberry, sprint, proof, ing, verizon |
Sprint had told us in a statement that its BlackBerry Tours
only had trackball issues on "early production" units, and now Verizon is telling us pretty much the same thing:
Early on there was an issue with the trackball that affected a small percentage [of] the early production units -- far less than industry norms. The issue was detected early, addressed immediately and is no longer an issue. Returns on this device are some of the lowest among any of our smart phones.
In other words, it sounds like new buyers (and anyone who's taken the plunge recently) should be fine, and Verizon's actually taking it to another level by boasting that the handset's now one of its most return-proof smartphones. That doesn't change the fact that the trackball's
a little too recessed for our liking -- but at least it should stay functional.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Verizon says trackball issue is 'addressed' on Tour, no longer a problem originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tagi: industry norms, phes, veriz, fri, liking, unge, ly, handset, blackberry, sprint, proof, ing, verizon
Posted by on under android, input method, phe, scheme of things, sliders, brethren, sammy, handset, galaxy, offerings, keyboard, hero, samsung, sprint, open source, amoled, nbsp |
In the world of
Android, it's not yet clear who's going to come out victorious -- QWERTY sliders or their keyboardless brethren -- but does there really need to be a winner? We say there's room for just about everyone in this open-source party, and Sprint is starting to round out its Android offerings by introducing the keyboard-equipped Samsung
Moment to saddle up alongside the the HTC
Hero that was released a few weeks ago. In the scheme of things, the platform is still extraordinarily young which means that virtually every new handset that's announced brings "firsts" to the table; in the Moment's case, it's both the first Android device with an 800MHz ARM11 core and the first Android QWERTY phone with an AMOLED display (you'd have to go back to another Sammy, the
Galaxy, to find the first AMOLED Android phone regardless of input method).
Being able to stuff Android, AMOLED, QWERTY, and 800MHz all into one sentence certainly sounds like a winning combination, but does the Moment deliver? Let's find out.
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung Moment review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tagi: android, input method, phe, scheme of things, sliders, brethren, sammy, handset, galaxy, offerings, keyboard, hero, samsung, sprint, open source, amoled, nbsp
Posted by on under aterm, clearwire, spare battery, 10mbps, acti, wireless networking, early november, wimax, local health, case in point, health center, thermostat, 802 11b, yen, ly, nec, router, sprint, modem, nbsp |
Not every company has the design chops to make it in modern consumer electronics. Case in point: NEC's Aterm WM3300R. While it looks like a thermostat you'd wall-mount at the local health center, it packs enough technological appeal to make up for that clinical dowdiness. See, it's a pocketable WiMAX router with integrated 802.11b/g WiFi -- think
MiFi only with the relatively blazing speeds of 40Mbps (downstream) / 10Mbps (upstream) WiMAX instead of EV-DO or HSPA and a battery capable of about 2.5 hours of shared usage. The WM3300R can also be USB-attached to a PC as a WiMAX modem. Drop another ¥5,000 (about $54) and you've got a spare battery to keep the mobile action going. Expect it to be released in early November in Japan for an estimated ¥25,000 or right around $272. You seeing this Sprint, Clearwire?
[Via
Akihabara News]
Filed under: Wireless, Networking
NEC's Aterm WM3300R is like a souped-up WiMAX version of the MiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tagi: aterm, clearwire, spare battery, 10mbps, acti, wireless networking, early november, wimax, local health, case in point, health center, thermostat, 802 11b, yen, ly, nec, router, sprint, modem, nbsp
