Broken Record

I’ll say it again and again, but I am getting fed up with all these manufacturers all claiming that their tablet will be an iPad beater. Yet they are comparing as usual their offerings to the current model of the iPad.

They did the wise thing last year and waited for Apple to release the iPad before releasing the models that they previewed at CES. But Apple surprised them then not with just what the iPad was but in the thing that killed off most of the offerings in having a $400 version of the iPad. Everyone had been planning on the rumoured price point of between $800 - $1000. When Apple came well under that they killed off a lot of the competition who just weren’t able to compete.

The $400 iPad also forced Amazon to drop the price of the Kindle. Which was a positive move for the Kindle as sales of it have increased since. If it had remained at it’s previous price it would of died from the competition of the iPad.

Now we have RIM with their vapourware that has been delayed from the planned launch of early next year because they have technical issues with the battery life. Apparently it isn’t very good, and doesn’t compare very well with the current iPad battery life (10 hours on the wifi model). And as I have pointed out all their rhetoric has been to compare their vapourware (which no one has had hands on with, and now we know why) with the current iPad. By the time the RIM offering hits the streets iPad2 will be imminent or will have just come out.

That’s a dangerous game to play for a manufacturer to launch in the shadow of an Apple product release. Look how well that worked out for Palm with the Pre (we will over look the under powered hardware). 

Samsung tried to distinguish their tablet from the iPad rather well I thought. They made the screen smaller (7”) so it was more portable, and gave it cameras (which apparently aren’t that great). But then they go screw it all up in the pricing and letting mobile operators control it. The Tab is more expensive than the iPad and you get tied up with a two year contract!! Yes I know that UK mobile companies are now doing similar deals on the iPad, but the iPad initial cost is cheaper than that of the Tab.

I think that the wise manufacturer should stop comparing their unreleased product with the current iPad. I’d even go so far as to stop mentioning the iPad all together in relation to their product. How about just concentrating on what your tablet will do well, and why I should buy it, instead of trying to compare it to a moving target.

Are The Carriers And Handset Manufacturers Peeing All Over Googles Android Dreams? Or 6 Reasons Not To Use Android

You know what I am fed up with is those that dish it out but can’t take it back. One particular group like this in the tech world are the Android/Google Fan Boy. Oh the Google Fan Boy likes to dish it out to us Apple Fan Boys, they love to do nothing better than to point out Apple’s faults while ignoring the plank in their own eye.

For instance if Apple were doing half the things that the carriers and hand set manufacturers of Android phones are doing then they would be in an up roar, gathering as a mob with torches and pitch forks, and burning effigies of Steve Jobs outside of the Apple offices. At the front leading the baying mob would be the technorati like Mike Arrington declaring Jobs as Satan.

• Want Skype on your Android phone? That has been sewn up in exclusive deals with one or two carriers.
• Are you in the US and want VOIP on your Samsung Galaxy tablet? Forget it that has been disabled.
• Want an wifi only Samsung Galaxy tablet, or not to be saddled with yet another 24 month 3G contract? Sorry no can do. The Samsung Galaxy tablet will be only available view mobile phone carriers with a contract.
• How about bloat ware that you don’t want and will never use? Welcome back to the good old days of before Apple. The carriers and manufacturers love this, they get control back and can put on any crap they like and you can’t do anything about it.
• Want your Android OS update when Google release it? Tough the carriers control when you get it once the handset manufacturer releases it to them. And this has meant that users are not getting the update for months after it has been released.
• Want the latest Android OS update at all? Well carriers and manufacturers are even denying it to relatively new handsets, wanting users to upgrade to a new handset and contract to get the latest version of Android, despite the handset being more than good enough to run it.

Now yes the last three points can get round by installing a ‘vanilla’ version of Android on the phone, and the process of doing this means that you would void your warranty. But is this any different from  the jailbreaking that iPhone users do?

But you will notice that this is all down to the carriers and the handset manufacturers. I like Android and what it represents. Sadly I believe that the vision/dream that Google had, has been diluted and corrupted.

Yet if Apple had done any of the above there would be flames and hate flooding the interweb. But for whatever reason those same people seem ever so silent that it is happening with the Android platform. They are letting the carriers and handset manufacturers get away with murder.

Let’s start shining the flood light on these creeps and protecting the dream.

First Impressions Of The Galaxy S

Last weekend I had to take my middle son back to uni. It was during the trip that I got to see his new mobile, which was a Samsung Galaxy S, a member of the Google Android phone family.

The phone itself is bigger in size than the iPhone 4 that I have, but feels lighter in the hand.

My son showed me it recording video, which looked good on the screen. And I have to say the the oled screen looks good. Well when it is not viewed in direct sunlight. Then the screen is unreadable, it appears blank!!!

My son tried to use the Google Navigation app to guide us to his new house he was renting. But for some reason the GPS just didn’t seem to work, and failed to lock on to any signal to get its position. However I put this down to the fact that the phone had literally zero power left, so was not able to power the GPS part.

Over all from the short period that I had with the phone, and my discussions with my son about it, I have to say I do like the Galaxy S. It is a nice phone, and if I had a chance to buy an android phone then this would be a strong contender to see me part with my cash.

Why I Won’t Be Using Android Anytime Soon

Every now and again I keep thinking I’d like to dabble with a Google Android phone. I know it’s a moment of weakness for an iPhone fan boy. But I keep thinking well if it is good enough for Leo Laporte then maybe I should give it a serious look.

Now like most heavy iPhone users or fanboys I have the odd app or two installed on my iPhone. Ok LOTS of apps installed on my iPhone.

Well I know that the Google Android phones allow apps to be installed. So if I was to make the leap over to the Google-side then I would need to find versions or equivalents on Google Android.

This is where I find that the Google Android-verse is putting up a barrier to stop me making that leap.

I know that Google Android has a marketplace, it’s version of the iPhone app store in iTunes. However to search the full Android marketplace to see what is there I need a Google Android phone. The only part of the Android marketplace I can see on line is a tiny tiny best of version of the marketplace.

So where in the iPhone world if I have iTunes installed I can search the app store and have a look around, or more importantly there is the web version of the app store as well. So it is easy for me to search and find an iPhone app(s) before deciding if I want to buy an iPhone. The only way on the Android marketplace for me to see if I could make that move to an Android phone and have the same functionality is to buy the Android phone!

This to me seems a bit arse about face from the king of search. And I am not going to make a leap of faith hoping that there are versions of the apps on the new platform. I want to be up and running as quick as possible, producing the same sorts of results I am now with my iPhone if I decide to make that jump over to Google Android. Sadly Google’s not thought things over and just gets in my way of making that decision. Well they make it easy, I’m sticking with my beloved iPhone.

Yet Another “Social Media” Phone

Yet again another new phone that is aimed as a “social media” phone. This time it’s a Google Android phone from Motorola. I hate it when the phone company or network provider try to sell a new phone trying to ride on the back of “social media”. I’ve ranted about this previously about Nokia.

What they are trying to pass off as a “unique selling point” isn’t really. Any “smart phone” that can have apps installed on it can be a “social media” phone. The Google Android G1 phone is a “social media” phone, as is the Blackberry and the iPhone along with the Palm Pre. They all have Twitter and Facebook apps, plus other apps to hook up to other social networks. Also the majority of these apps are free and pretty good as well. In fact I prefer accessing Facebook from my iPhone to using the website (yes the apps can be that good).

I suppose to a general population that is none the wiser then this “unique selling point” may get them the odd extra sale. For those in the know we just aren’t fooled by this sales/marketing snow job.