Samsung and Mccann Digital launched a new marketing campaign for the first ever Android Samsung device, the Galaxy. They gave 5 bloggers the phone for 4 days, and we have to review 100 Android apps over that time period. The phone is definitely impressive with its 3.2′ capacitative touch screen and 5 mp camera, but to the obvious iPhone comparison question, Android still has what to improve before that comparison is really justified.
android
Nimbuzz Has Done It Again! This Time It’s Android
Over the years since I have been blogging, I have developed an ongoing professional relationship with various software developers mostly in the mobile arena. The longest lasting and closest relationship has been with Nimbuzz, an application that supports multiple platforms and IM networks. Before I discuss the product, I have to say that what impresses me about Nimbuzz as a company is the fact that while they add a whopping 1 million new users monthly, they actually spend the time listening to feedback and implementing it as well.
HTC Magic – Android G2 -Officially Announced
The new Google phone/G2/HTC Magic was just announced. Check out pics, specs, and videos of the new bad boy…
Android, Nova, and Like Mob
There really has not been a lot going on lately in the cellular world. It seems that 2009 is going to be a year that can be summed up in one word; Android. Pretty much all cellphone manufacturers are jumping on the Google OS bandwagon. Palm could also rise from the dead this year with Nova, but we will only know that after CES, when we find out what Nova is.
Yesterday, we saw some possible spy shots of the G2, which looks like an Android version of the HTC HD. Today’s rumors are that Sony Ericsson seems to be releasing their version of an Android phone, and it looks pretty amazing. It has a huge touch screen and a slide out full QWERTY, kinda like the N97 running Android.
In other news, we recorded our first podcast yesterday. It is called Like Mob and it will be available on iTunes shortly. In the podcast, Aryeh, Itamar, and I ramble on about all the newest cellular developments. In this episode, we talk about Nova, the G2, the American 5800 Xpress Music, Samsung’s Android phone, the Nokia E63, and how the iPhone is on sale at Best Buy and is now officially unlocked.
Let me just warn you that our recording setup was not ideal this episode, so the audio quality left room for improvement. Next week, it will be better.
-Hillel
Google & Apple: Why?
The First Google Phone: Ouch
Just wanted to share some of my thoughts on the latest developments in the cellular world. What better place to start than the infamous Google phone, which turned out, much to most of our disappointment, to not be a phone at all, but a cellular platform or more precisely a mobile operating system? I just do not get a few things, and I would seriously like some explanations here, so please feel free to make use of the commenting tool.
Why would a company like Google, who is known for their innovation and products that just work (Gmail, Picasa, and many others), agree to introduce the world to their new and exciting Android on such a (I literally sat in front of my monitor trying to think of a strong enough word to describe the G1’s ugliness) horrendous looking phone? I cannot think of one aspect of the Dream’s hardware that is even slightly appealing to me! OK, software might be more important when choosing a phone, but there have to be red lines, and the first Android phone crosses them. So, why? There must be an explanation. Anyone?
Furthermore, once Google decided to settle and use the G1, how could they agree to release this phone without a 3.5 mm headphone jack? This phone is supposedly competition for the iPhone and others like it, but as if the G1 was not ugly enough on its own, you now have to use some clunky adapter to plug your earphones in? Why, Google, why?
Connect This Nice Looking Thing to Listen to Tunes on Your G1
These are not rhetorical questions, I expect answers here. Does it really take so much to add a headphones jack? Would it really have been too much to ask for HTC to design a pleasant looking handset for the most exciting mobile platform of 2008? Maybe something like the HD? I would have even settled for a Diamond. I really just do not get it.
Next Gen Cellphone
OK on to other topics. Phone Scoop reviewed the Samsung Behold. They gave it an OK review and were not very excited by it. I read the review and was very surprised to see that the main disadvantage of the phone was not addressed. The camera was OK, the music player was decent, nothing about the fact that it is a closed OS, with no option of installing anything 3rd party. I can tell you that this was for me, pretty much the thing that prevented me from getting the phone. Strange that they did not discuss it.
Behold the Samsung Behold
Lastly, just wanted to give a quick shout-out to the biggest disappointment of my week. The 2.2 iPod/iPhone firmware upgrade. I was so excited to use Street View on my iPod and for some unexplainable reason, that update was only provided to iPhone users and not iPod Touch users. Other updates were implemented on both the iPhone and iPod, like pressing the Home button now brings you back to your first home screen, and enhancements to the App store. So, I ask, why would Apple do such a thing? I find it very hard to believe that it is because of technical restrictions, there is no reason it would work on the iPhone and not the iPod Touch, which leads me to believe that this was a marketing decision.
Amazing!
It is no secret that I love the way Apple markets their products, which leads me to my conclusion that everyone makes mistakes. The hard part is to acknowledge your error and correct it. So, no pressure, Steve, but hurry the heck up and fix this, I want to see my old house on my iPod.
Just to end on a positive note, congrats to Technmarketing on their 100th post, and what a post it is, if I do say so myself.
-Hillel
The Flip Side of The G1: Android
Contrary to my thoughts on the G1, Android itself is pretty amazing.
Check out these videos:
-Hillel
HTC G1: My Dreams Are A Lot Better
So yesterday was a pretty important day in the mobile world. The “Google Phone” was announced. After all the rumors surrounding Google’s first handset, T-Mobile announced the HTC G1 (Dream, hence the title), running Google’s Android OS.
Although, Android is an impressive and exciting concept, the phone on which they chose to implement this new OS is far from exciting. In today’s day and age there really is no reason HTC should be releasing a phone that can not transfer files via Bluetooth. That is just one of the many disadvantages of the new G1.
The G1 does not support stereo Bluetooth, making it difficult to listen to music wirelessly. Well, no biggie, right? I can just use my regular headphone, right? Wrong! The phone has no 3.5 mm headphones jack. That means, if I want to listen to music from my phone, I need to buy some ugly adapter and plug it into the phone, and only then can I use my headphones. Does that sound like a state of the art, high-end phone to you?
The phone supports 3G speeds, but only an older generation, UMTS and no HSDPA, which is significantlty faster. It offers push Gmail, which is kinda cool, I guess, but no exchange support. It has a 3 MP camera, not too shabby, but no video capabilities (the iPhone might be able to get away with that because it makes up for it in other areas, but cmon HTC).
Like with many other phones that were recently announced, my conclusion is that if this phone had been released in the pre-iPhone era, maybe it would have impressed me more, but all that is left is to quote GSMArena.com when they say:
“So we waited a whole year now just to see a poor iPhone replica with a QWERTY keyboard that doesn’t even look half as good. It seems HTC have not put any effort in the design – and even the functionality is flawed. So thanks, but no thanks! Let’s see the next one, please!”
On the marketing side of things, I guess this ad is OK, in a Microsoft kinda way.
-Hillel
Android is A Reality
Looks like Google is taking Nokia’s route, as opposed to Apple’s known secrecy policy. The new T-Mobile Dream, or G1, is not even released yet, or for that matter, has not even been officially announced, and there are already leaked pictures and specs on the Web.
I personally am not as excited by the hardware of the HTC Dream as I am with Android. The phone looks kind of big and bulky, and I am not a huge fan of the whole Sidekick, slideout keyboard form factor. As for the specs, there really is nothing too exciting about this handset’s capabilities. It has the standard 65k display, 3.1 MP camera, and 5 hours of talk time. It lacks stereo Bluetooth (ouch), video capture (um, why?), and corporate push mail. The phone requires a Gmail account to access your email, and from what I understand, does not have any built-in memory.
I think Google could have done better when choosing the first Android handset. For example, if Google would have chosen the HTC Touch HD to introduce their new OS, I am pretty sure they would have many more interested customers. Having said that, I am not worried about Google, Android is appealing enough by itself, that it does not need a fancy shiny phone to make it attractive. On the contrary, it might have distracted the user from the beauty of the Android interface.
-Hillel
Android Demo
Google Android demo at Google Developers Day, 16th September 2008
Android’s Release
To shake things up a little, I thought I would write about the marketing aspect of this blog, an area that is usually more Aryeh’s thing, not mine.
I was just wondering if Google is really doing everything they can, to effectively market Android’s official release. Next Tuesday, Androidwill be introduced to the cellular world for the first time. A pretty big thing, no? I mean Google, that company that created a search engine for the Web, have now decided that they are entering the mobile industry with a revolutionary mobile operating system. You would think every tech news site would be overflowing with scoops about the Android event.
Let’s review what we know about it. We know T-Mobile will be releasing the first Android phone, the Dream, next Tuesday, the 23rd. We know Android is supposed to be a huge deal, and present a true iPhone OS killer. Do we know why? What makes it so great? Yes, it is open source. Anything else?
Personally, I think if Google wants to really make a difference and have an impact on companies like Nokia/Symbian, Apple, and Microsoft, they are going to have to do a little more. How about some Web ads, YouTube demonstrations, or at least some impressive spy pics?
-Hillel
National Pride and Android
Just thought I would make mention of the two Israeli start-ups that came in the top 50 applications designed and written for the soon-to-be released Android OS.
TuneWiki is an application that enables you to listen to music and watch video on your Android handset, while viewing different information on the screen, such as lyrics or geographical information about the singer or band. They came in the top 10.
BreadCrumbz is a pretty cool app that enables you to navigate to places that a regular GPS is unfamiliar with (dirt roads or small unknown streets). The app makes use of pictures taken by other people. For example, if you are throwing a party in a place that will not show up on GPS, you can take pictures of the landmarks nearby, and using this app, your guests will easily be able to find your location. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
Well, I for one am pretty impressed with these companies. Let’s wait and see how they do. The fact that they won $275k and $100k respectively, is just the icing on the cake.
-Hillel
