Monday
UPDATE
Exec Wire will be under construction for a few months and will return shortly. We appreciate your support and hope you stay tuned for more of what we have to come. Thank You!:-)
Sunday
Win 8 Pro upgrade jumps from $40 to $200 come February 1
Existing Windows licensees have until January 31 to get Windows 8 Pro on the cheap. After that, the promo price vanishes and upgrade costs head upward.
When Microsoft announced last year a "limited time offer" for Windows 8 upgrade pricing, some thought -- or at least hoped -- the discounted price might be indefinite.
Microsoft officials announced on January 18 that this will not be the case.
After January 31, the $40 upgrade price will end. Starting February 1, the Windows 8 upgrade (from previous Windows home/consumer SKUs) will cost $120. The Windows 8 Pro upgrade will cost $200.
Currently, Microsoft is charging $40 for an upgrade license to Windows 8 Pro from Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.
Testers who've been working with Windows 8 preview builds also have been eligible for the $40 upgrade price. The Windows 8 preview builds (Developer Preview, Consumer Preview, and Release Preview) all expired earlier this week. After that time, users with those builds will notice that Windows 8 will restart every hour "until they've installed a released (RTM) version of Windows," a Microsoft representative confirmed earlier this week.
Here's information on what users upgrading from XP, Vista, and Windows 7 can expect to migrate (and not) when upgrading to Windows 8.
This story originally appeared on ZDNet under the headline "Microsoft's Windows 8 upgrade promotion really is ending on January 31."
Prepaid or postpaid?: The fight for your cell phone dollars (Smartphones Unlocked)
No-contract carriers can slice your smartphone bill over the course of two years. But you may still opt for a pricier contract instead.
By definition, the no-contract carrier model is designed to save you money over a two-year contract agreement, the latter of which reigns supreme here in the U.S.
The question is: How much do you really gain by going prepaid, and what do you lose from the subscriber experience? Without a doubt, no-contract carriers like MetroPCS, Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, and Cricket Wireless can dramatically cut your monthly cell phone bill, but there are trade-offs.
I'm not going to dive into every carrier's pricing structure and phone offerings, so for the sake of comparison, I'm going to break down the cost of ownership over a two-year span for two carriers: Verizon, which has the most U.S. subscribers, and MetroPCS, the country's largest prepaid network.
Samsung's Galaxy S3 makes a good model device thanks to its ubiquity across seven carriers; the 16GB version has a $199.99 base price for most contract providers.
Now, that $200 charge isn't the phone's true cost; it's the price that Verizon and the rest subsidize so you pay less up-front than a MetroPCS customer, who will pay the full $500. The trade-off for a "cheaper" Verizon phone is committing to two years of data fees no matter what, and getting slapped with a multiple-hundred-dollar termination fee if you try to leave early.
In addition, Verizon and others add an activation fee for new lines of service. If you're a new cell phone customer, or switching from another carrier, chances are good that you'll be tacking a nominal fee onto the transaction, and that adds to the phone's overall cost.
Assuming you use Verizon's new pooled Share Everything data plan, you'll have to pay a monthly access fee for any device, on top of the monthly bundle for unlimited talk, text, and a portion of 4G LTE data. I chose 4GB of monthly data, but Verizon also offers plans for as low as 1GB per month to as high as 10GB per month.
Verizon charges $50 for unlimited talk, text, and Web, though you won't use much Web on a phone like the Gusto 2, and that saves Verizon money in the end. The $1,250 total for two years of ownership is pretty low.
(Credit: CNET)
| Verizon Wireless -- two-year contract | |
|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy S3 cost | $200 |
| Activation fee (one-time) | $35 |
| Monthly access rate | $40 |
| Monthly rate (4GB data) | $70 |
| Access fee, 24 months | $960 |
| Data fee, 24 months | $1,680 |
| Two-year total, excluding taxes | $2,915 |
| MetroPCS -- No contract carrier | |
|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy S3 cost | $500 |
| Activation fee | $0 |
| Monthly rate (Unlimited 4G LTE) | $55 |
| Data fee, 24 months | $1,320 |
| Two-year total, excluding taxes | $1,820 |
Assuming you use Verizon's new pooled Share Everything data plan, you'll have to pay a monthly access fee for any device, on top of the monthly bundle for unlimited talk, text, and a portion of 4G LTE data. I chose 4GB of monthly data, but Verizon also offers plans for as low as 1GB per month to as high as 10GB per month.
Over two years, you'll pay almost $3,000 for the Galaxy S3 on Verizon, assuming you're activating a new line of service.
With MetroPCS, however, you skip the activation fee, and the $55 unlimited monthly rate gets you all the LTE data you can eat, on top of limitless calls and texts. MetroPCS' LTE plans range from $40 to $70 per month, depending on add-on services. For instance, the $70 plan gets you on-demand video and unlimited Rhapsody Music.
A high-powered phone like the Galaxy S3 brings powerful software and hardware features to traditionally more humble networks.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
In this scenario, MetroPCS saves you $1,095 over the course of two years of ownership for that high-end Galaxy S3. The math gets a little trickier when you factor in lines of service for multiple family members. Verizon and AT&T have their pooled data plans, but MetroPCS does drop rate plans by $5 a plan when you have two-to-five lines of service under a single name. This is MetroPCS' small concession for families and groups.
How low can you go?
What happens if you're trying to get the least expensive phone you can, period? Once again, a prepaid carrier may offer you the cost advantage on the lower end of the scale, too.
What happens if you're trying to get the least expensive phone you can, period? Once again, a prepaid carrier may offer you the cost advantage on the lower end of the scale, too.
Although most known as a post-paid carrier, Verizon also has a prepaid branch that gives you unlimited talk, text, and Web. (Check and you'll find that each national carrier has some sort of prepaid option. In Verizon's case, there are two choices, since you can also buy phones at full retail cost and opt for a month-to-month contract.)
For the next scenario, I wanted to compare the most rock-bottom price you can get with Verizon and MetroPCS. Verizon's least expensive handset is the $50 Samsung Gusto 2 flip phone, which, though simple, has all the basics for making calls and texts.
Verizon Wireless -- Cheapest prepaid | |
|---|---|
| Samsung Gusto 2 | $50 |
| Monthly fee (talk, text, Web) | $50 |
| Data fee, 24 months | $1,200 |
| Two-year total, excluding taxes | $1,250 |
| MetroPCS -- No contract -- Cheapest | |
|---|---|
| Huawei Verge, Kyocera Presto | $50 |
| Monthly fee (talk, text, Web) | $40 |
| Data fee, 24 months | $960 |
| Two-year total, excluding taxes | $1,010 |
Verizon charges $50 for unlimited talk, text, and Web, though you won't use much Web on a phone like the Gusto 2, and that saves Verizon money in the end. The $1,250 total for two years of ownership is pretty low.
I likewise searched MetroPCS' Web site for its least expensive offering. At the time of writing, the Kyocera Presto and Huawei Verge each cost $50.
Yet its cheapest 3G rate squeaks in at $40 per month, just south of Verizon's offering. The difference between the two isn't very vast, but there's a lot you can do with the $240 you'll have left at the end of two years with MetroPCS.
A third option: MVNOs
Carriers with storefronts aren't the only options. You can also find great deals with MVNOs, Mobile Virtual Network Operators. MVNOs are services that resell other operators' spectrum, and prices go as low as $30 per month without a contract. TracFone is the largest, and owns StraightTalk, a Wal-Mart exclusive that resells AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
Carriers with storefronts aren't the only options. You can also find great deals with MVNOs, Mobile Virtual Network Operators. MVNOs are services that resell other operators' spectrum, and prices go as low as $30 per month without a contract. TracFone is the largest, and owns StraightTalk, a Wal-Mart exclusive that resells AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
(Credit: CNET)
Ting and Credo Mobile ride Sprint's network, as do Sprint's own prepaid Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile brands. PureTalk sells AT&T; Net 10 rides AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint; and Simple Mobile resells T-Mobile service.
Getting the phone you want
As with the handsets themselves, no carrier offers a one-size-fits-all solution. No-contract providers are simpler and less invasive: there's no service agreement and no credit check. You can often pay in cash at a retail store, so a credit card isn't required. Since there's no contract, there's also no fee for stopping service sporadically or switching providers any time you want.
As with the handsets themselves, no carrier offers a one-size-fits-all solution. No-contract providers are simpler and less invasive: there's no service agreement and no credit check. You can often pay in cash at a retail store, so a credit card isn't required. Since there's no contract, there's also no fee for stopping service sporadically or switching providers any time you want.
Selection is one big drawback; you can't always be as choosy about what you get. Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T's prepaid services are usually limited to flip phones and other simple devices. Quality midrange Android phones can easily cost $300 without a contract, but the features will often pale in comparison to the most coveted smartphones on the market.
The good news is that the more major prepaid carriers are snagging popular smartphones like the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3, but these will come at the full retail price, which is a larger sum up-front.
Cricket Wireless snagged the iPhone 5 just a week after the major carriers began selling Apple's flagship phone.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)
It's all about the network
When you're considering which carrier to pick, you should always think about the network speeds and services you can expect. MetroPCS, for instance, works best in urban centers, so if you travel a lot to the country, you may find your call quality and ability to stream data heavily compromised.
When you're considering which carrier to pick, you should always think about the network speeds and services you can expect. MetroPCS, for instance, works best in urban centers, so if you travel a lot to the country, you may find your call quality and ability to stream data heavily compromised.
Not every network is created equally, either. MetroPCS' 4G LTE data is downright slow compared with Verizon's top-notch LTE, but it's still speedier than another carrier's 3G network. Still, not everyone requires the absolute fastest downloads.
All the extras
Post-paid national carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon can also afford to offer you greater support when it comes to in-store attention and customer service, in addition to intangibles like a more alluring brand appeal.
Post-paid national carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon can also afford to offer you greater support when it comes to in-store attention and customer service, in addition to intangibles like a more alluring brand appeal.
Saturday
Friday
Friday Poll: Will you unlock your phone when it's illegal?
Friday Poll: Will you unlock your phone when it's illegal? | Crave - CNET:
It looks like today is the last day for smartphone-unlocking freedom in this country. A new federal mandate kicks in tomorrow saying that carrier-locked phones are not allowed to be unlocked without the carrier's permission.
The feds figure there are enough unlocked-phone purchasing options out there. If you want the sweet, sweet sugar of a fat carrier-sponsored discount, you'll be stuck with a locked phone. Unless you want to go outlaw.
I could see the United States descending into a new version of the Wild West. Roaming packs of smartphone-unlocking outlaws will defend their hideouts against raids from carriers with federal backing. They'll sport nicknames like "The Android Kid," "Samsung Calamity S3," and "Unlockin' Larry."
The new rules will impact people who buy new smartphones starting tomorrow. Legacy phones already purchased or acquired are exempt. Though carriers have never been thrilled about their customers unlocking phones, this change will actually give them some enforcement teeth when they sniff out illegal unlockings.
Maybe your unlocking days are over. The next time you need a new phone and you're eyeing those carrier discounts, what will you do? Vote in our poll and talk it up in the comments. And to be clear, CNET never recommends doing anything illegal.
It looks like today is the last day for smartphone-unlocking freedom in this country. A new federal mandate kicks in tomorrow saying that carrier-locked phones are not allowed to be unlocked without the carrier's permission.
The feds figure there are enough unlocked-phone purchasing options out there. If you want the sweet, sweet sugar of a fat carrier-sponsored discount, you'll be stuck with a locked phone. Unless you want to go outlaw.
I could see the United States descending into a new version of the Wild West. Roaming packs of smartphone-unlocking outlaws will defend their hideouts against raids from carriers with federal backing. They'll sport nicknames like "The Android Kid," "Samsung Calamity S3," and "Unlockin' Larry."
The new rules will impact people who buy new smartphones starting tomorrow. Legacy phones already purchased or acquired are exempt. Though carriers have never been thrilled about their customers unlocking phones, this change will actually give them some enforcement teeth when they sniff out illegal unlockings.
Maybe your unlocking days are over. The next time you need a new phone and you're eyeing those carrier discounts, what will you do? Vote in our poll and talk it up in the comments. And to be clear, CNET never recommends doing anything illegal.
The Android rumor roundup ...
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Nokia to launch flagship smartphone on Verizon this year -- report
Nokia's Lumia 900 users on AT&T will also be the first to get the Windows Phone 7.8 update, according to internal AT&T documents.
The Lumia 900 is getting Windows Phone 7.8 soon.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Nokia is readying a flagship smartphone for Verizon Wireless, a new report claims.
Verizon is planning to carry the Lumia handset later this year, The Verge is reporting today, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the company's plans. That device, codenamed Laser, will "be a variant" of Nokia's Lumia 920, but it's not clear what sort of features that handset will have.
According to The Verge, Nokia's device will be put on the same playing field as Verizon's other flagship devices, including the iPhone.
The addition of a flagship Nokia device on Verizon's network will complement the Lumia 822 currently running on the service. The Lumia 822 is free with a two-year contract.
In other Nokia news, the company's Lumia 900 will be getting an upgrade to Windows Phone 7.8 next week, according to a new report.
Windows Phone fan site WP Central yesterday reported that the operating system update will be coming to AT&T Lumia 900 owners on January 30. The blog is basing its claim on an internal AT&T e-mail it claims to have obtained detailing the update.
Windows Phone 7.8 was announced last year alongside Windows Phone 8. Products running Windows Phone 7, like the Lumia 900, were unable to be updated to Windows Phone 8, leaving Microsoft to build an upgrade for customers who would have been left out in the cold.
Windows Phone 7.8 includes a host of improvements, including a new Start screen, new theme colors, and an improved lock screen. The update will be made available free of charge to Lumia 900 owners.
CNET has contacted Nokia for comment on both reports. We will update this story when we have more information.
Chrome for Android gets adventurous with WebGL, SPDY
Google has released a new beta of its Chrome browser for Android that gives people the option to try new features such as WebGL's 3D graphics and SPDY's faster page loading.
The update, the third since the inaugural version of the Chrome beta for Android, shows not only more of the browser team's ambition but also a faster pace of change.
The unbranded stock browser that shipped with Android for years moved comparatively glacially, but in particular with the new Chrome beta releases for Android, Google is pushing for a broader feature set. And the code base … Read more .. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57565820-94/chrome-for-android-gets-adventurous-with-webgl-spdy/
Five things to know as you get started with Vine
Get the lowdown on Vine with this hands-on video and five must-know tips for getting started with Twitter's new video app.
As a social network built on keeping things short and sweet, it's no surprised that Twitter released today a secondary app that lets users (Twitter and otherwise) shoot and upload six-second videos. Of course, no later than a few hours after its launch, Vine was already being called the "Instagram for video," as users began sharing short clips of kids, stop-motion drawings, food, and, of course, puppies. Currently, Vine is only available for iOS, but Twitter assures users that its app will be coming to other platforms "soon." The app is pretty simple to use (and get addicted to), but before you dive in, watch the getting started video above to get the lowdown on how Vine works, and read these must-know tips as you get started with the new app. 1. Your videos are public. No matter what. Let's get privacy out of the way first by saying: there really isn't any. Unlike Instagram, or even Twitter, which allow you to set your profile to "private," Vine doesn't offer a way to shut out users.
Anything you post on Vine is public, and can be shared by you (and others, should they grab the link to a Vine you tweeted or shared on Facebook.)
NBC News asked Twitter about this very issue, and, after being pointed to a help article on the Vine Web site, NBC was told that the company would be adding more ways to control who views your content in a future release.
2. Use tags to take advantage of the Explore section.
Head to the Explore section in the Vine app, and you'll see that (like Twitter and Instagram) discovery and curation are built around tags.
Select a hashtag from the tiled collection, and you'll see a feed of videos whose authors included that tag. Likewise, if you search for a tag at the top of the Explore screen, videos related to that tag appear, too.
But don't be limited to the tags Vine included in its explore section -- you can search for, and tag your videos with, whatever you want. So as you upload videos, include relevant tags so that your videos are more easily discovered. (Just don't go crazy -- there's little worse than a 20 lines of tags.)
3. Get creative with cutting and sequence.
Unlike traditional home videos, like the ones you might shoot on your smartphone, Vine videos don't necessarily need to be shot starting with "point A" and ending at "point B."
The app lets you pause the video and reposition your camera at any time, so it's easy to get creative with Vine. There are many examples, but a whole slew of stop-motion video and interesting montages have already shown up in the app. Here's just one example:
4. Vine will likely see major improvements.
Right now, the feed you see in the home screen is a little sad. Although you can like, comment, and pause videos (just tap!), there isn't much functionality beyond that.
As Vine expands, we should see improvements, like the ability to share videos from the feed, and even tag friends in comments or posts. Another key improvement will likely be the option to remove comments, a la Instagram.
5. "Vining?" "Upload a Vine?" "Vineyard?" We're not sure just yet.
As the app made it to the iPhones of the CNET newsroom, conversation quickly turned to questions about Vine's nomenclature.
Are videos "Vines?" Or, do you upload a Vine video? (We ended up settling on the latter.)
As you browse Vine, is the home feed a "Vineyeard?" Will we soon tell our friends, "You should vine that!"?
Only time will tell, but for now, all that can be said is that the hype around Vine's launch is plentiful, and for those of us who are into sharing moments of our everyday life, that's pretty Vinetastic.
As a social network built on keeping things short and sweet, it's no surprised that Twitter released today a secondary app that lets users (Twitter and otherwise) shoot and upload six-second videos. Of course, no later than a few hours after its launch, Vine was already being called the "Instagram for video," as users began sharing short clips of kids, stop-motion drawings, food, and, of course, puppies. Currently, Vine is only available for iOS, but Twitter assures users that its app will be coming to other platforms "soon." The app is pretty simple to use (and get addicted to), but before you dive in, watch the getting started video above to get the lowdown on how Vine works, and read these must-know tips as you get started with the new app. 1. Your videos are public. No matter what. Let's get privacy out of the way first by saying: there really isn't any. Unlike Instagram, or even Twitter, which allow you to set your profile to "private," Vine doesn't offer a way to shut out users.
Thursday
ITC decides to review Apple complaint against Samsung
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) decided yesterday to review a ruling made by an administrative law judge in the ongoing patent-infringement saga between Apple and Samsung.
Judge Thomas Pender in October ruled that Samsung had violated one of Apple's iPhone design patents, as well as three software feature patents, in some of its mobile products. Two other patents brought before the judge by Apple were found to have not been violated by Samsung.
Best cell phones - These 5 best smartphones may surprise you ..
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Google asks FCC for wireless spectrum, but don't get too excited
Google has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for permission to apparently conduct testing on, well, something. But it's not a new wireless service that some have hoped it would be, CNET has exclusively learned.
Steven Crowley, a wireless engineer, discovered the application, which was filed by Google last week. The application asks for permission to test frequencies across the 2524 to 2546 MHz range and 2567 to 2625 MHz range. According to Crowley, those ranges are reserved for Educational Broadband Service and Broadband Radio Service. But here's the catch: Clearwire, a company that Google had owned a slice in until last year, uses the ranges for its mobile broadband service.
Predictably, that has prompted speculation over whether Google is testing its own wireless network. The company currently offers free Wi-Fi service in the Chelsea neighborhood in New York City and has been dipping its toe in the service waters with Google Fiber in Kansas City.
Google, however, has not provided any details on its plans in the FCC petition. The report is heavily redacted and includes only one exhibit outlining where it will place base stations to test the service in its Mountain View headquarters.
Given the relative inability of concrete information, some circumstantial evidence is being drawn to guess at Google's plans. The filing, for example, was authorized by Google Vice President of Access Services Milo Medin. The Access Services unit handles the Google Fiber and wireless initiatives.
However, the spectrum range in question currently does not work natively with any popular consumer devices, due to past regulations put in place by the FCC and due to Clearwire's own handling of the spectrum. In addition, a source with knowledge of Google's plans, has told CNET that the testing is just that. The source added that the search giant has no plans, at this time, to deliver a consumer-facing service with the spectrum.
So, what is Google up to with this testing? At this point, according to the source, it's nothing that consumers will end up using and falls in line with Access Services' charge of regularly testing wireless technologies.
Wednesday
BlackBerry Enterprise Service updated for BB 10 smartphones
The software lets businesses manage a fleet of BlackBerry 10, iOS or Android devices in anticipation of the launch of the first BlackBerry 10 handsets at month's end.
Research In Motion has released a new version of its mobile device management software, BlackBerry Enterprise Service.
The software, available to download from today, is designed to manage devices running BlackBerry 10, as well as rival devices running iOS or Android operating systems. The release will also play a key role in the potential success of RIM's forthcoming BlackBerry 10 handsets. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 "supports our existing line of devices, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and soon to be released BlackBerry 10 smartphones," Pete Devenyi, senior vice president of enterprise software at RIM, told ZDNet.
In addition to bringing device and application management capabilities for the BlackBerry 10 handsets, the release of BES 10 also marks the retirement of RIM's standalone mobile device management product and brand, Mobile Fusion. In future, Mobile Fusion functionality will be a part of BlackBerry Enterprise Service, available to BES customers.
Read more of "RIM lets BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 out of the gate early, ready for BlackBerry 10 phones" on ZDNet.
Samsung Ativ Odyssey travelling to Verizon tomorrow
Samsung's Windows Phone 8 smartphone hits Verizon Jan. 24 for $50.
The Samsung Ativ Odyssey, first announced last Fall at Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 launch event, will hit Verizon stores January 24. The decidedly mid-range handset will also cost a very affordable $49.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and two year service contract.
We were able to spend some hands-on time with the Samsung Ativ Odyssey at CES this month. Essentially the 4-inch screened device runs a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, sports a 5MP rear camera, and 1.2MP front imaging system.
The Ativ Odyssey also boasts a connection to Verizon's 4G LTE data network, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. There's a micro SD Card slot too which supports up to 64GB of extra memory expansion. Powering the whole setup is a beefy 2,100 mAh removable battery.
-via cnet.com Brian Bennett
Wednesday
Friday
Android challenges the iPhone in every category | Apple - CNET News
via http://www.cnet.com/profile/PeterYared/
For the past month, I have been using an HTC Droid DNA, which has similar specs to the rumored upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4. People approach me at grocery stores, airports, coffee shops, even on the street and ask me about the phone. The device is indeed quite compelling, even from a distance.
What phone would I recommend for my mom? An iPhone. It's safe, predictable, and uniform. What would I recommend for anyone under 40? Definitely one of the new breeds of Android phones. Android might still be a bit quirkier than an iPhone, but it's definitely not confusing for people who interact daily with a variety of advanced technology. Samsung really nailed it in its commercial where a young woman is waiting in line for a new iPhone and it turns out she is holding the spot for her parents.
The new breed of Android devices exceed the iPhone 5 in every category -- hardware, operating system, and apps.
The spec is alive and well -- and killing Apple
Hardware from Samsung, HTC, LG, and others has now caught up and eclipsed Apple's devices. Smartphones don't really have that many specs to evaluate, and each of the specs actually means something tangible to an average consumer. After five years of advanced smartphones, specs like screen size, screen density, screen brightness, camera speed, camera megapixels, physical dimensions, physical weight, amount of memory, and battery life are easily understandable and relevant to even the average smartphone consumer. Even specs like the number of processor cores and speed that are typically not easy to understand are easily understood when framed as "faster than the iPhone 5."
Hardware from Samsung, HTC, LG, and others has now caught up and eclipsed Apple's devices. Smartphones don't really have that many specs to evaluate, and each of the specs actually means something tangible to an average consumer. After five years of advanced smartphones, specs like screen size, screen density, screen brightness, camera speed, camera megapixels, physical dimensions, physical weight, amount of memory, and battery life are easily understandable and relevant to even the average smartphone consumer. Even specs like the number of processor cores and speed that are typically not easy to understand are easily understood when framed as "faster than the iPhone 5."
Conversely, the spec is definitely irrelevant when purchasing Apple products. There are so few products to choose from that decision making is essentially boiled down to a Goldilocks-style small/medium/large decision mainly driven by cost rather than actual features. While this is great for my mom and MG Siegler, the lack of spec-based decision making is not necessarily a good thing in a world where consumers actually understand each of the specs and would like to choose how to balance them out relative to cost. Apple has been a follower on many specs, particularly in terms of form factors, trailing the market in both 4-inch phones and 7-inch tablets.
iPhones are definitely gorgeous devices, but they are relatively uniform and monotone. Aluminum is definitely great. I was surprised by how many women commented on the red accents on the HTC DNA, which are part of the DNA's crossbranding with Beats Audio. People like colors and variety, and they don't necessarily like having to completely cover a phone's shell and make it bulkier in order to express themselves.
Let's not forget that all of those Samsung Galaxy phones you see cost the same as an iPhone -- their owners are not bargain shoppers; they are spec and style shoppers.
The screen should actually show you something!
As mobile app developer Ralf Nottman recently noted, the new generation of Android 4 Jelly Bean is a fundamentally better operating system than iOS -- better rendering, better cross-app sharing, better app/OS integration, and more polished.
As mobile app developer Ralf Nottman recently noted, the new generation of Android 4 Jelly Bean is a fundamentally better operating system than iOS -- better rendering, better cross-app sharing, better app/OS integration, and more polished.
But the real standout for Android is the customizability of the display. Rather than iOS static icons with embedded notifications, with Android, apps are front and center, displaying the time in different time zones, the weather, appointments, emails, texts, whatever you want in numerous themes that can completely reinvent the user interface.
Windows Phone 8, the dark horse in this race, is actually even more integrated, with a unified messaging interface that consolidates emails, texts, and Facebook messages into a single thread, and a consistent tile interface with which apps can display information on the home screens.
The operating system is not as important as the apps, and this is where Android is beginning to shine.
The cloud behind the app is more important than the app
In a world where the hardware and operating system have become commoditized, the apps are the differentiator, and more and more, the apps are a viewport into a cloud service driven by machine learning.
In a world where the hardware and operating system have become commoditized, the apps are the differentiator, and more and more, the apps are a viewport into a cloud service driven by machine learning.
The vast majority of Internet users rely on Google Search, Maps, YouTube, Mail, and such, and spend more time in those apps than in the mobile operating system itself. As people are beginning to note, Google's apps are way better than Apple's. What good is Siri if it thinks "Hurricane Sandy" is a hockey team, when Google knows what's actually going on? Google Now is adding ambient awareness to Android devices, letting people know what's going on around them and what they need to do in a very personal way, with features like a notice that you need to leave for your next meeting because there is now traffic en route.
Perhaps, as is rumored off and on, Apple will start snapping up cloud services such as Waze.However, it is hard to buy and integrate a new type of product category into a large company that doesn't have it in its DNA. Competing with Google, an entrenched, dominant player in machine intelligence that recently added Ray Kurzweil to its roster is going to be a challenging affair. Microsoft actually had a better track record of delivering large-scale cloud services, such as mail, mapping, and storage, than Apple.
Beyond Google's apps, the reality of the app market is that all of the applications that matter are now on Android, and it actually will soon have more apps than iOS. Dan Lyons of ReadWrite is lambasting the Silicon Valley tech press for living in an iPhone echo chamber, and he does have a point. Pundits are lauding Google Maps features on their iPhones that have been available on Android devices for literally years. Bloggers breathlessly reveal new Facebook iPhone app features such as "Find Friends Nearby" that had been available for over a month on Android.
The feedback loop of the echo chamber is that developers initially develop apps on iOS, much like the recently popular Cinemagram. However, developers like Nottman like cool devices, and are starting to shift over to Android. In addition, developers are feeling limited by iOS user interface patterns and its skeuomorphic apps and are branching out. Like the Mac OS of the early '90s, the consistent UI across applications will likely splinter.
The numbers speak for themselves. Android has a 75 percent smartphone worldwide market share, as evidenced by the hordes of Samsung devices in use throughout Europe and Asia. While Apple is regaining market share in the U.S. with the iPhone 5, it is about to face an onslaught of 5-inch Android phones with specs that far exceed the iPhone 5's. Wall Street clearly sees a shift coming, and has hammered Apple's stock price over the past quarter.
The average consumer has moved past the days of pious, scruffy haired, unshaven, thick glasses-wearing dudes lecturing us on how Apple is so cool. Perhaps soon Silicon Valley will catch up. When you see someone in a cafe with a MacBook Air, iPad, and iPhone on the table in front of them, is "Think Different" really what comes to mind?
Android challenges the iPhone in every category | Apple - CNET News
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