TechVirtuoso

Google’s ‘best deal ever’

October 28th, 2010 at 7:58 AM  1 Comment

David Lawee, vice president of corporate development for Google, stated  at the 16th annual Stanford Accel Symposium that acquiring Android Inc. was Google’s “best deal ever.”  It is hard to argue with him with the rumored acquisition cost of $50 mil, especially with the market share the OS has gained in the last year.

With as many acquisitions that continue to happen at Google it may be a hard statement for Android to keep up with.  With Microsoft revamping their Mobile OS, HP brining Palm to the new level, RIM deciding it better get moving and Apple sitting on it’s laurels who knows what will happen in the coming years in the mobile space.

Adobe confirms Flash Player 10.1 coming to more mobile platforms

October 25th, 2010 at 9:49 PM  3 Comments

Good news for almost everyone except those running anything with iOS. Adobe today confirmed that they would be releasing plugins for nearly every mobile platform that isn’t run by a man wearing black turtle necks. Already present for Android 2.2, Adobe today added Windows Phone 7, WebOS, Blackberry OS, Symbian and even MeeGo and LiMo to their supported platforms.

Adobe was not clear on when to expect the release on each platform, only saying that it would happen.

Already one of the top free apps on Android Market, with more than 50,000 users giving it a 4.5-out-of-5 star rating, Flash Player 10.1 brings rich Flash based content to mobile devices inside the browser. The runtime is now certified on close to a dozen Android devices and will become available on dozens more over the coming weeks and months.

via Businesswire

Symbian OS soon be crushed by Android, others

October 25th, 2010 at 9:37 PM  2 Comments

Bad news if you’re a Nokia or Symbian fan. Great news for pretty much every other smartphone user on the planet. It would seem as if the onslaught of iOS, Android, Windows Phone, webOS and Blackberry has been too much for the Symbian Foundation to handle. The recent departure of Sony Erickson and Samsung didn’t help much either.

There was a time when over two-thirds of the worlds phone users sported something with Symbian running on it. As the iPhone has taken off, and major phone vendors have begun embracing Android and Windows Phone 7, there is just no longer a need for the OS.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab coming to Spring for $399 (with two year agreement)

October 25th, 2010 at 8:55 PM  3 Comments

Sprint announced today that the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be coming November 14, for $399 with a 2-year agreement. Sprint customers will have two rate plans to choose from: a 2GB data plan for $29.99 per month or a 5GB data plan with $59.99 per month. Interested customers can also pre-order at any Sprint store, with the purchase of a $50 gift card (which you can later use to help pay for the Galaxy Tab).

The tab posts some impressive specs including a 7-inch Enhanced TFT touchscreen display, Android 2.2, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and dual cameras (3-megapixel back with flash and zoon and a 1.3-megapixel front for video chat). It also includes the SWYPE on-screen keyboard. It also offers mobile hotspot capability.

via Android Central

Trillian for Android beta released, continues its multi-platform/multi-protocol domination

August 20th, 2010 at 10:01 AM  7 Comments

The good folks over at Cerulean Studios have released the first public beta of their Trillian instant messaging client for Android. Having recently dumped my Nexus One to go back to iPhone 4, I have not had a chance to test this software, but knowing the quality that is the entire Trillian platform, I’m going to tell you to go download and install this client anyway.

They’ve engineered Trillian for Android to run on devices running at least Android 1.6, which means your 2-year-old G1 won’t be left behind! At the same time, users with the latest and greatest phones can enjoy shiny high-res graphics!

For anyone who lives on multiple IM networks (AIM, Facebook Chat, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ) Trillian is one of the original multiprotocol clients, having lived through the times when they’d frequently be clicked off AOL’s network. I’ve been using Trillian for Windows forever (their new Windows 5.0 beta is out, and it’s awesome as well) and have been using Trillian for iPhone since the day it was released.

Cerulean Studios have done a fantastic job of making sure their clients are native to the environment they’re running on, yet are all tied together by their Astra cloud platform. They also have clients for Blackberry and Mac OS available, as well as an awesome secure web client for getting to your IM’s on public computers. For anyone who is multi-platform as well as multi-protocol, Trillian is the best choice to keep your instant messaging contacts in sync.

Commitment Issues – Sold the Nexus One, Back to iOS

July 29th, 2010 at 10:54 PM  4 Comments

I’ve never been one to have commitment issues. But my decision to move from the iPhone 4 to the Nexus One just couldn’t stick. Last month I wrote about what I saw as the flaws of the iOS platform and specifically the issues I had with the iPhone 4. I also wrote a glowing review of the Nexus One and I stand by (most) of that analysis. But yesterday I sold my Nexus One and will soon be buying an iPhone 4.

When I announced this “news” on Twitter and Facebook last night I think I stunned just about everyone of my friends and followers. I got a lot of questions like “What did Android do wrong?” but did get a few statements like “I knew you’d be back” … when I left last month, I didn’t intend to come back. But there were a few lingering issues that I just couldn’t get past.

Subsidies

The Nexus One I purchased cost me $529 direct from Google. So I take that phone and attach it to my AT&T account and then pay AT&T the same amount of money for my voice, data and TXT messages as I would if I were on a 2-year agreement. AT&T spends nothing upfront and makes a larger profit from me than it does for someone who spends $199 for a iPhone 4. The obvious benefit for me is that I can take my phone and go to another carrier, or cancel my account anytime I want. But here’s the kicker… my only real choice is AT&T.

Beyond the logistical issues of having every friend and family member I know being on AT&T (free mobile to mobile) and the fact that they have one of the better networks in the Kansas City area… Google for some reason designed two different Nexus Ones. One radio optimized for T-Mobile and one for AT&T. So if I decided I was fed up and wanted to move to T-Mobile, I’d basically cripple my phone by relegating it to EDGE network data speeds. And since obviously Verizon and Sprint are on different technologies, they’re not even something to be considered. Google would have been wise to use a radio that would work on both types of GSM networks, if that were possible. Realistically, I’m locked into AT&T, regardless of if I have a 2-year contract or not.

So the real question for me was, in order to make the value of owning the Nexus One “worth it” … was my experience with it more than 2.5x better than the iPhone 4?

Basically. No. (more…)

The Nexus One vs The iPhone (and life after iOS)

July 2nd, 2010 at 2:36 PM  5 Comments

As I explained in a previous entry on Tuesday, I’ve made the decision to leave the world of Apple mobile devices for the land of Google Android. To briefly bring you up to speed:

Ever since the iPhone supported Exchange, I’ve been a huge supporter. I’ve spent two good years on the iOS with my iPhone 3G. … When the iPhone 4 was announced, I followed the WWDC keynote with great anticipation. I ooh’d and aah’d at all the advances in design and software. … (after getting it) Taking it home that night, I started to notice something was a little off with my phone. … (antenna issues) I dropped a few calls that weekend, including one to my father who seem’d to have lost my mother, but I could make due. … The view from most of the people within the Apple world was that it was firmware related, and would be quickly fixed. Then Steve Jobs opened his mouth. … I found myself deeply disappointed in the device and the operating system. Enough so that I’ve made the switch to Android.

There, now that we’re all up-to-date, I’m happy to say that my Nexus One is activated and I’ve had the last couple days to play with it. Having had experience with many different mobile device styles and platforms, including Windows Mobile, Palm OS (the original, not the WebOS) and iPhone, I can honestly say that the Nexus One and Android OS is the best mobile experience I’ve ever had. (more…)

Decision is final: Apple’s failure is sending me to Android

June 29th, 2010 at 8:28 PM  No Comments

Ever since the iPhone supported Exchange, I’ve been a huge supporter. I’ve spent two good years on the iOS with my iPhone 3G. My job bought it for me back in 2008 and I got it shortly after launch. It was a solid phone with a lot of good things to say about it. I evangelized to everyone I knew about how they should get an iPhone, how it’s the best smartphone around. I got a 3GS for my wife, I’ve told countless other family members to get one. In most ways, when it was introduced, it was the best thing around. But things have changed.

When the iPhone 4 was announced, I followed the WWDC keynote with great anticipation. I ooh’d and aah’d at all the advances in design and software. When pre-orders started, our company bought 11 to start, and we waited until last week when they finally arrived (early) from AT&T. I rushed across campus to rip open the box and activate my new toy (err) tool. There it was, the iPhone 4, before most anyone else on the planet had their hands on one. I took pictures, I tweeted about how amazing it looked, how the screen was fantastic (it is) and how fast it was compared to my 3G.

Taking it home that night, I started to notice something was a little off with my phone. In Kansas City, AT&T really is the top carrier, and with my 3G, reception was never an issue. I can think of only one place in the city where coverage is any type of issue, and it’s not an area I frequent. So with the iPhone 4, the fact that I was only holding 4 bars at maximum, and typically 3, seemed a bit odd.

Later, I realized I was on EDGE service with hardly a bar to see, for most of my time before I jumped on my home wireless. As I started reading the news on various gadget blogs, I quickly realized I was suffering from the antenna problems that were plaguing almost ever other early adopter.

I dropped a few calls that weekend, including one to my father who seem’d to have lost my mother, but I could make due. The view from most of the people within the Apple world was that it was firmware related, and would be quickly fixed. Then Steve Jobs opened his mouth.

“You’re holding it wrong.” … or something to that affect.

Excuse me? (more…)

I finally left Windows Mobile, for Android

June 1st, 2010 at 10:26 AM  1 Comment

For the majority of my adult life I have owned and adored Windows Mobile phones. I remember the first one I saw was from HTC dubbed the Blue Angel. At the time this device seemed way to large and bulky to carry in your pocket on a daily basis so I passed. Soon after, I started to hear about the MPx200 and loved the specs and size. As soon as they became available in my local AT&T Wireless store (which turned into Cingular, and is now back to AT&T) I picked one up and I didn’t look back…. until last week.

I received my previous Windows Mobile device, the Touch Pro 2, last October. Overall it has been a good device and it lasted me over 6 months without a major problem.  An impressive feat considering most devices only last 3  months without my need to seek out a replacement.  I was getting bored with the Touch Pro 2 and Windows Mobile and so I got the choice of a HTC Snap (oh heck no), a HTC Hero or a Samsung Moment. I didn’t particularly like the design of the Moment so I went with the Hero.

I love some of the new features of the new Android device, like Visual Voicemail, push email on multiple types of email accounts and merging contacts/calendars from multiple sources.  All of these items are things I wish Windows Mobile offered but never could find a way to do it.

After using the Hero for a week I am beginning to think the Moment might have been a better choice.  Sense UI seems to cause some problems on the underpowered Hero processor and the on screen keyboard has been hard to get used to.  Some of the features I am surprised that are missing are features enterprises would look for, like enforced security options as well as remote wipe and remote lock.  I know these are available as third party apps but without these features built into a centralized console security conscious businesses will continue to shy away from the Android platform.

If Google wants to continue to pull business away from the Google Apps platform I think they need to figure out how to include these advance security features into Android as well as Google Apps.

Android road warrior has phone, ISO connectivity

November 23rd, 2009 at 9:42 AM  2 Comments

junefabricsAs I stated in my previous post, I have left the world of BlackBerry and Microsoft Exchange behind and transitioned my e-mail, calendar, contacts, and mobile platform to Google Apps and Android. Doing so was no small decision, as my “day job” requires that I have access to all of these items and that they work in unison with each other, my desktop, my laptop, and that I have access to my data anywhere at any time.

I own an IT consulting firm, and as you can imagine, that means that I am not always in the office, and don’t always have connectivity available. With my BlackBerry, it was as simple as loading the Sprint SmartView software on my laptop (similar applications are provided by most carriers) and using my BlackBerry’s data connection. However, SmartView doesn’t work with the Samsung Moment, and Sprint has made the (poor) decision to do away with tethering or “Phone-As-Modem” options on their Simply Everything plans which are required plans for their smartphones. I speculate that their reason for doing away with tethering is an effort to drive customers to the increasing number of mobile broadband devices that they carry, including the new Novatel MiFi 2200 router, but I’ll save that gripe for another post.

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