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13Mar/100

Android Entelligence: A Rebuttal

An iPhone-owner friend of mine recently sent me an article by Michael Gartenberg, author of the Entelligence column on Engadget. Mr. Gartenberg’s article, “Entelligence: Will Android fragmentation destroy the platform?”, presents some interesting things to consider, but is surprisingly inaccurate on a number of critical details. I thought it would be useful to summarize his [...]



[via androinica]

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13Mar/100

Android Entelligence: A Rebuttal

An iPhone-owner friend of mine recently sent me an article by Michael Gartenberg, author of the Entelligence column on Engadget. Mr. Gartenberg’s article, “Entelligence: Will Android fragmentation destroy the platform?”, presents some interesting things to consider, but is surprisingly inaccurate on a number of critical details. I thought it would be useful to summarize his [...]



[via androinica]

Tagged as: No Comments
13Mar/100

Motorola CLIQ XT Review

It’s feeling a little like deja-vu here at Android Community, with another Android device from Motorola in to review. Hot on the heels of the Motorola DEVOUR and Motorola BACKFLIP comes T-Mobile’s latest Android smartphone, the Motorola CLIQ XT. As the name suggests, Motorola are positioning the CLIQ XT as a derivative of the original CLIQ (launched back in November 2009) but eschewing the QWERTY keyboard in favor of a newly slim line touch screen-only form factor. Question is, have Motorola done enough to update the rest of the smartphone? Check out the full Android Community review after the cut.

We weren’t joking about the deja-vu; the CLIQ XT (which will be sold as the Motorola QUENCH outside the US) has the same 3.1-inch HVGA 320 x 480 capacitive touchscreen as the DEVOUR and BACKFLIP, together with the latter’s 5-megapixel autofocus camera. There’s 3G – though here it’s support for T-Mobile USA’s 3G network, rather than Verizon or AT&T – along with WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. It also gets Motorola’s MOTOBLUR social networking system, which pulls in updates from Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other services, links them with contacts on your handset, and allows you to post updates to one or all of the networks from homescreen widgets.

Unfortunately, it’s MOTOBLUR that’s likely to blame for the CLIQ XT’s aged version of Android. With devices like the Google Nexus One and the HTC Legend – which we reviewed earlier this week – delivering Android 2.1, to launch yet another device with Android 1.5 seems increasingly unforgivable. Motorola say they’re working on an updated version of MOTOBLUR which will be compatible with 2.1, but there’s no public timescale as to its release; similarly, there’s no telling when – or if – further updates to coincide with newer versions of Android might arrive. To be fair, this is something HTC users have faced with HTC Sense, but it’s a concerning fragmentation trend in Android right now.

Even taking into account the limitations of Android 1.5, the CLIQ XT isn’t exactly a speed demon. Unchanged from the original CLIQ is the 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A chipset, something even Motorola themselves have abandoned in other recent devices. It adds up to an occasionally sluggish user experience, particularly when navigating between data-heavy apps (such as MOTOBLUR) or using the onscreen keyboard; given there’s no hardware QWERTY any more, that’s doubly frustrating.

Perhaps to assuage such annoyances, T-Mobile and Motorola have partnered with Swype to preload the company’s predictive keyboard technology onto the CLIQ XT. Rather than demanding you hunt-and-peck across the ‘board, Swype allows you to drag your finger from letter to letter, guessing at the word you were aiming for when you lift that finger from the display. We’ve already been using Swype on the Nexus One, and it works very well, certainly if speed is your number one priority. After some practice it’s possible to far outpace a regular on-screen keyboard, especially once you realize the dictionary is still capable of picking out the correct word even if your finger-accuracy isn’t 100-percent.

Non-dictionary words can be entered – and are subsequently stored – by tapping them in as usual, though we prefer the layout of other Android keyboards such as HTC’s to Swype’s. It’s also more successful with longer words; where we had ongoing problems was with shorter terms, those with apostrophes – such as “don’t” – and confusion between single and double letters in words. Meanwhile the trackpad underneath the touchscreen works as well as that on the back of the BACKFLIP, but we still found ourselves using the touchscreen more often than not.

Other changes Motorola have made include adding in pinch-zooming and Flash Lite in the browser, though their processor choice means the CLIQ XT is unlikely to see an update to full Flash. Best of all, though, is the work they’ve done on the Android media player. In its native form it’s an unloveable thing, but after Motorola have had their way there’s automatic lyric and album art downloads from Tunewiki and Internet radio streaming, along with an FM radio and YouTube support. It addresses one of the core shortcomings of Android in its present form, and lays down a challenge to Google themselves for the next release of the platform.

The 5-megapixel camera may tick all the spec sheet boxes, but performance is underwhelming. Autofocus is slow to lock, and more often than not images themselves are blurred or poorly exposed. Maximum video capture is 352 x 288 24fps, which falls short of what other recent Android handsets can manage. Meanwhile the HVGA display and the early version of the OS means there are numerous apps in the Android Market that won’t run on the CLIQ XT, though you do get the usual bevy of preloaded Google titles such as Gmail and Google Maps. Since there’s no Google Maps Navigation beta for Android 1.5 (only 1.6 and higher) if you want turn-by-turn directions then Motorola will point you in the direction of T-Mobile’s TeleNav partnership, which charges $2.99 per month (versus Google’s free alternative).

Motorola are claiming up to 6hrs talktime or 325hrs standby on a full charge, though with MOTOBLUR regularly pulling in updates you’re looking at a nightly top-up if you want to make it through the day. Shutting off the social networking features would obviously prolong the CLIQ XT, but given they’re so integral to the overall experience we’re not sure why an owner would do that (rather than, say, picking another Android device). It’s also worth noting that Android 1.5 lacks the in-depth power monitoring tools of later versions.

Given Motorola’s more recent Android phones have been spread across various networks as exclusives, you can’t exactly accuse them of flooding the market. Still, after the excellent DROID we’d like to have seen a little more imagination in their latest handsets, the CLIQ XT included. Contrasted with the HTC Legend – which, admittedly, won’t be arriving in its current European form in the US – the CLIQ XT’s chassis feels overly-plastic and under-designed. The expanse of textured battery cover (of which Motorola provide two color choices in the box) is calling out for a more inspiring treatment, and the hardware feels either underwhelming (like the HVGA resolution or lackluster chipset) or underused (like the 5-megapixel camera).

Of course, the CLIQ XT’s saving grace is likely to be its price, and while T-Mobile are yet to announce official figures we’re expecting the smartphone to come in at around $130 with a new, two-year agreement. That would put it not far short of the $150 T-Mobile are currently asking for the original CLIQ, which is obviously bulkier than the newer handset but otherwise offers much the same experience. The CLIQ XT fits reasonable in the hand and is certainly more pocketable, but it does feel a little like T-Mobile are treading water having previously led the carrier pack when it comes to Android. It’s not a bad smartphone by any measure, and its media player functionality is ahead of the game when it comes to rivals based on the same platform, but the Motorola CLIQ XT falls short of anything but mid-range, middle of the road mediocrity.





























































[via Android Community]

13Mar/100

Verizon’s Skype Mobile: a great companion to Google Voice

As we’ve all heard by now, Skype Mobile is coming soon to Verizon’s Blackberry and Android phones. It sounds good, but how does it compare to Google Voice (GV) and why isn’t Verizon pushing Google Voice with the same enthusiasm?

Presumably, the Skype deal involves Skype giving Verizon a cut of the revenue earned selling Skype services to Verizon customers. Otherwise, there would probably be no deal. Skype has always been snubbed by carriers, but they’ve finally figured out how to get in the door… by paying the man! Meanwhile, Google has managed to leverage its Android operating system to get GV distributed.

Okay, Verizon is happy, Skype is happy and Verizon users can now call other Skype users for free so they are happy too. This appears to be the main benefit to Verizon users, calling other Skype users… while those being called are at their PC or have the app running on their smartphone. Sure, there are millions of Skype users saving billions of dollars calling internationally, and for these people it will give them the added benefit of calling from their Android phone, but for all other calling within the US and internationally (calling from the US), GV is the less expensive alternative… and with 100% Android integration.

Before going into detail on the cost savings, let’s first look at how Skype Mobile is being implemented for Verizon and how it is different. Skype is a voice over IP (VOIP) service that traditionally allows calling over the internet rather than the public switched telephone network (PSTN). All other mobile Skype apps on various mobile phones use the carrier’s data service rather than the voice service, i.e. does not use minutes. However, in the case of “Skype Mobile”, Verizon is carrying Skype calls, using its voice network, from the smartphone to Skype’s VOIP gateways and Skype routes the call to the destination over the internet. In doing so, Verizon is requiring a voice plan (and data plan), but has wisely chosen not to deduct minutes for Skype Mobile calls.

Wow, this sounds great! It doesn’t use monthly plan minutes, but to call someone on their cell or home number, users need to buy Skype credit for the minutes used. Sounds like a pre-paid cell plan, but I digress. It’s not that Skype Mobile is a bad deal, in fact it’s a real good deal for “Unlimited US/Canada”  calling for only $3 per month. What makes it unattractive is that GV with a Friends & Family plan allows for unlimited calls (at least to the US) for free… without the $3/mo charge.

By simply setting the GV access number as a F&F number, users can make unlimited outbound calls without deducting from one’s monthly plan minutes. Of course, taking advantage of this requires a 900-minute individual plan or 1400-minute family plan whereas using Skype Mobile will not, hopefully. This may leave Verizon users wondering if it might be more cost effective to use Skype Mobile exclusively, opting for the least expensive, lowest minute voice plan. This plan blows up pretty fast after thinking it through, however.

Skype Mobile cannot be used exclusively the same way GV can to save monthly cell charges. Attempting to call regular numbers would generally require the use of caller ID and a Skype ‘Online Number’ for $60 per year. This doesn’t sound too bad, but here’s the kicker… using the Skype number means users will be receiving SMS at this number and according to Skype’s published SMS rates, sending SMS to/from US cell numbers is 11 cents  per message. That’s $55 for 500 messages. Therefore, Skype Mobile may only be viable for calling other Skype users. For those with elaborate Skype networks, this is great news. For all other calls, Google Voice is still king.

While GV is great for Verizon users, what about the other major US carriers? AT&T has its A-List, same deal. As for T-Mobile, the original Android carrier, there are probably over 100,000 Nexus One users and hopefully many have a MyFaves account. Those who signed a new contract, thus giving up the My Faves feature, are not able to take advantage of GV to the same degree. Sprint? Well, Sprint doesn’t have a F&F equivalent, but users may already have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes, which would make GV unappealing anyway. For international calling, GV is still a viable option, however.

When comparing international rates, GV is cheaper to nearly every destination by varying amounts anywhere from 5% to 50% or more. When calling more popular countries using GV, an across-the-board comparison shows calling land lines will cost 5-15% less while calling mobile numbers will cost 20-50% less. Be sure to check rates (for Swype and for Google Voice) for the country you are calling or see this comparison chart. There are, in fact, a few exceptions where Skype is cheaper. They are: Belgium, Austria, Chile and the Czech Republic -2.1 cents per minute using Skype vs. 3 cents using GV. Calling Finland is 3.1 cents per minute vs. 5 cents using GV. Sounds insignificant, but the savings percentage is 43% and 61% respectively.

Verizon deserves a round of applause for opening the door to a VOIP app even if it isn’t VOIP in the truest sense. Skype Mobile will serve avid Skype users very well and bring in more customers. This is good for users and good for competition making Skype Mobile a great companion to Google Voice. Meanwhile, we await Google’s integration of Gizmo5 or will it remain on the back burner?

Related Posts



[via Android and Me]

13Mar/100

ESPN Mobile TV comes to Sprint Android phones

ESPN and Sprint are teaming up to give Android users the ultimate sports experience in the palm of their hand. Starting today, ESPN Mobile TV will offer Sprint consumers live sports programming and entertainment from ESPN.

The service will be offered via the existing Sprint TV application and does not require a software upgrade.

“Mobile has become an invaluable screen to the digital consumer. To super serve sports fans, you have to provide live coverage on the go, and we are excited to be working with Sprint to provide this offering to its customers.”Matt MurphySVP ESPN Media Networks

We don’t have a Sprint Android phone at the moment so we are unable to review this service. If you own a HTC Hero or Samsung Moment, please let us know how the new ESPN Mobile TV performs.

Programming and live events through April include:

  • 23 Live Men’s NCAA Basketball Games (including Conference Championship games)
  • 19 Live Women’s NCAA Basketball Championship Games
  • 9 NBA Playoff Games
  • 15 Regular Season NBA Games
  • 30 Live NBA Fastbreak Shows
  • 10 Regular Season MLB Games
  • 50 Live Baseball Tonight Studio Shows
  • 3 College Football Spring games
  • 3 Live Friday Night Fights
  • 3 Live NCAA Hockey Championship Games
  • 5 Live MLS Matches

Related Posts



[via Android and Me]

13Mar/100

Nexage Android APIs Offer Devs Additional Revenue Streams

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zeropoint_logoSo you’ve got an Android application that pretty much kicks but and haven’t monetized it and don’t want to charge for it in the market. We all know ad-supported apps are a go-to model for monetization and to be honest – they’re one of my favorites. Integrating them in a non-intrusive manner can even AD value to the app, especially when you’re talking about geo-targeted coupons and whatnot. Now developers have another method of monetization through a company called Nexage.

AdMax is a mobile platform owned by Nexage that pulls ads from over 35 mobile ad networks, ensuring developers a large pool of potential advertisers that should help maximize the targetability and fill-rate. New APIs the company is offering allow devs access to location-enabled ads, expandables, native video player ads and more. I’m sure users don’t like hearing that more ads will be in more apps, but done tastefull I think its MORE than acceptable. Especially considering you’re getting your apps for free.

The company put out a Press Release, which I’ve included below. Developers out there take note!

Nexage Announces Mobile Ad Support for Android Platform
Nexage’s New Android SDK and Android API Give Developers Tools to Serve Ads to Android Apps, and Better Monetize Mobile Advertising on the Android Platform

BOSTON, March 10 /PRNewswire/ – Nexage (www.nexage.com), a leading provider of mobile advertising yield optimization and mediation solutions, today announced the immediate availability of the new Nexage Android SDK and an open API, providing flexibility for developers to create Android-based apps capable of serving mobile ads through AdMax, Nexage’s mobile mediation platform.

Nexage’s Android SDK is easy for developers to integrate, and supports all mobile ad formats, including local advertising for location-enabled applications, expandables, native video player, and more. Leveraging Nexage’s AdMax Gateway, which sends ad requests to more than 35 mobile ad networks worldwide, the Android SDK delivers the most inventory fill at the highest effective CPM. Nexage also exposes an API to developers who want to implement custom ad treatments in apps on any platform. More details on these two approaches can be found at www.nexage.com/developers.

“Our new Android tool will help advertisers and publishers capitalize on the explosive growth of the Android platform,” said Dev Gandhi, CEO of Nexage. “Furthermore, our AdMax ad-optimization service ensures that publishers generate the maximum revenue from their mobile properties – on Android and other major mobile platforms including Blackberry and iPhone. Nexage is focused on providing publishers and app developers with the leading single source mobile yield optimization solution, bridging the disparate mobile platform silos.”

At CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas, Nexage will host a tutorial and Q&A for developers on launching Android apps with the Nexage Android SDK or the open API, in booth 6529-A at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23.

About NEXAGE, Inc.

Nexage is a leading developer of Mobile Advertising solutions that enables companies to maximize advertising revenue from their mobile properties. The company’s leading product is the AdMax, a hosted advertising optimization service that enables carriers and media companies to fully control and maximize the monetization of their mobile channels. It has been demonstrated to serve text, banner, in-application and video ads with higher fill rates and effective CPM than could be achieved previously. Currently, AdMax powers mobile ads for a number of top-tier publishers, broadcasters and operators. Additional information is available at www.Nexage.com.

These companies getting involved with mobile advertising networks are going to be making BANK in a few years from now. And mark my words… a bunch of these more “start-uppy” type companies will be getting acquired for handsome amounts. Also beautiful and sexy amounts.

[Via Press Release]

[via Android Phone Fans]

13Mar/100

3 UK Adding 6 more Android handsets to its line up – All Within The Next Three Months

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Android seems to be gaining great velocity in the UK – not only has Vodafone shown great interest in Android recently (besides already major Android players such as T-mobile) but Network 3 too. 3 UK’s head of internet services -David Kerrigan – said that the company will release 6 Android phones all within the next 3 months and will focus on devices with Android as the platform will help push sales. Sounds like a good plan to me!

3-logoThey didn’t exactly point out what handsets they’ll be stocking but did however share  they’ll be working closely with Samsung and Sony Ericsson to market the devices. Just having a guess here but I would say you’ll probably have a choice from the Samsung Galaxy, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, maybe  some budget or entry level handsets and of course HTC’s slew of devices will probably appear. After all we already know the Desire is coming to 3 among other networks.

David Kerrigan also confirmed that all these six devices launched will support Music service Spotify.BONUS!

“The Spotify application will be available on all Android devices we launch on the network. These applications have been important in driving mobile data and will be available as an add-on for all contract tariffs going forward”

Network 3 already sells the popular HTC Hero on two different price plans. £25 without and £35 with a premium spotify account the length of the 24 month contract, so I would imagine these new releases would be on very similar tariffs. It’s worth noting if you get a £25 plan without spotify, a premium spotify account is £10 a month anyway.

It’s great to see more operators showing interest in Android phones and gadgets, helping Android grow and giving people the opportunity to choose what operator they might want to go with!

[Via Mobile News]

[via Android Phone Fans]

13Mar/100

Motorola Milestone Pre-Loaded With Android 2.1 In Bulgaria?

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The Motorola Droid launched with Android 2.0. Then the Nexus One launched with Android 2.1. Since then Droid owners have been clamoring for 2.1, been promised and then unpromised the update, and are still waiting for its arrival. That arrival might finally be coming if its pre-loaded existence on Motorola Milestones in Bulgaria is any indication.

bulgaria-milestone

That’s right – starting March 20th, Motorola Miletones sold in Bulgaria with a carrier named VIVACOM will come with Android 2.1 according to Bulgaria.com. If that’s the case, we would expect other operators in Europe to start offering the same. And furthermore, we would expect a carrier offering 2.1 out of the box to also offer updates to existing Milestone owners with the same phone (but with an older OS).

Whether or not this situation extends to the American brother – the Motorola Droid – is uncertain. And lets not forget that each carrier is probably putting Android 2.1 through the paces on each separate phone before it will push the update to the public. But this is at least a good sign that the Droids and Milestones of the world will be getting Android 2.1 before long.

Lucky, lucky Bulgarians.

[Via Engadget]

[via Android Phone Fans]

13Mar/100

Nexus One Lite/Cheap Flying To India?

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nexus-one-indiaOften times manufacturers will take a high-end handset, make it smaller, slightly lower the specs, slap a name like “Lite” or “Mini” on it, slash the price and call it a day. Sony Ericsson is doing something similar with the X10 and we’ve seen Samsung do it with the Galaxy. But it happens everywhere. Now, thanks to a rumor from TechTree, we’re wondering if the same thing will happen to the Nexus One on its way to India.

The rumors are suggesting that the phone, which will be targeted towards developing markets where consumers have less disposable income, will keep its 3.7-inch screen but with a slimmer frame and less fancy innards. Whether it will be called the Nexus One, Nexus One Lite, or something else remains to be seen. And to be honest, whether this rumor holds any weight remains to be seen as well – it doesn’t seem like the most likely of scenarios but in this industry we’ve learned anything is possible.

[TechTree via A&M, Slashphone]

[via Android Phone Fans]

13Mar/100

Verizon Nexus One Coming With HTC Sense?

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The Nexus One sold through Google’s website is a Google Experience phone. That is – it runs a stock version of Android with no customizations out of the box. That makes perfect sense since it isn’t branded as an HTC device. But something else makes sense in a different way: Verizon’s Nexus One, still sold through the Google website, might come pre-packaged with HTC Sense.

nexus-one-sense

The above screenshot is supposedly a leaked screenshot of Verizon’s Equipment Guide. You can clearly see:

  • Top line indicates ONLY sold at google.com/phones (should be “phone” singular)
  • 4 bullets from the bottom left it says “Sense UI (User Interface)”

Whether this is legit, typ0-free document we don’t know, but hopefully we’ll find out soon. I’m guessing a LOT of people have been waiting for the Nexus One to hit VZW and Voda since they were announced as eventual partners the first day.

[Via AndroidCentral]

[via Android Phone Fans]


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