Posts Tagged: storage

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12
Jul 10

Android Gets a Build-Your-Own-App App



Got an idea for a smartphone app? If you’ve got an Android phone you might be able to build it yourself, thanks to App Inventor for Android, a new Google Labs program for Windows, OS X, and Linux that’s designed to make building Android programs as easy as piecing blocks together.

…App Inventor is in closed beta at the moment, and Google says it’ll let folks in “soon” — you can sign up here. As you’ll see if you fill out the sign-up form, Google sees the program as an educational tool of particular interest to teachers and students.
It’s an exciting idea that’s more than slightly reminiscent of HyperCard, the brilliant visual programming tool that was a big deal on the Mac more than twenty years ago, and which is missed to this day. HyperCard or something similar would be a boon on the iPhone — even Steve Jobs has says he thinks so, although Apple apparently doesn’t have any interest in building such an application itself, and new restrictions in the iOS developer agreement prevent apps developed with the HyperCard-like RunRev from being distributed on the App Store.
(More and more, I think that the surface similarities between Android and iOS are less interesting than the fundamental differences in emphasis and philosophy — and the more different the two OSes get, the more…

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Android Gets a Build-Your-Own-App App

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9
Jul 10

Android Gains in marketshare as iOS wanes

Don’t look now, Apple fanatics, but Android’s just made another noteworthy leap in mobile market share. Google’s Android platform grew by 44 percent from February to May, according to a report released Thursday by ComScore.

…The reality is that new high-profile Android handsets are hitting store shelves practically every month — handsets like Motorola’s Droid X and the multicarriered Samsung Galaxy S — and those are attracting an awful lot of new customers. Last month, Google said it was activating 160,000 new Android devices every day, and that was before the Droid X had even been announced. Older Android handsets are slowly but surely starting to receive the Android 2.2 upgrade, giving them fresh life as well. In order to reverse the shifting market share trends, Apple’s iPhone 4 would have to outpace the growth of that entire ever-expanding fleet of Android phones.
Even if the iPhone 4 didn’t require a Jedi voodoo grip in order to work, that’d be one hell of a feat to achieve. Factor in those reception issues — not to mention the iPhone 4’s other reported problems — and it’d take a full-blown miracle for Apple to fend off Android’s gains….

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6
Jul 10

LG plans Google Android tablet device

Like virtually every other hardware vendor, LG has announced plans to join the tablet PC revolution. It seems that LG might be following in HP’s footsteps, though, by abandoning the Windows 7 tablet prototype it has been promoting in favor of a tablet built on a mobile OS platform.

…The trend seems to be to develop tablet devices on the same mobile OS platforms used in smartphones. The Apple iPad uses iOS. The upcoming HP tablet will run on the WebOS platform it recently acquired with the purchase of Palm. The new LG tablet will run on Android, as does the Dell Streak, and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tape.
The Apple iPad has a significant headstart in the tablet market, leaving the vast array of competing tablets in the dust and with a steep climb to compete. However, for businesses and business professionals, alternate tablets may prove to be more compelling if they can deliver an equivalent experience to the Apple iPad while delivering things the iPad is missing like Flash compatibility or USB ports.
I have reached out to LG to confirm or deny whether the announced Android tablet will replace the previously revealed UX10 prototype, or if LG plans to launch both a Windows 7 tablet and an Android tablet. LG has not yet responded to my inquiries.
LG did not announce pricing or any…

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LG plans Google Android tablet device

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17
Jun 10

Your Browser in Five Years

The next big computing platform won’t be Apple’s Mac OS, Google’s Android, or Microsoft’s Windows. It’s already here–and it’s the Web.

…What will your Web browser look like in 2015? Five years doesn’t always bring dramatic change to some technologies–today’s desktop PC, for instance, isn’t that different from its 2005 predecessor–but browsers are undergoing major changes that will alter our day-to-day computing lives.
Not only will Web browsers become commonplace in cars, but they’ll also incorporate voice recognition, text-to-speech, and touchless gesture controls for applications where keypads, touchpads, and even touchscreens can be either inconvenient (smartphones) or downright dangerous (when driving). Browsers will stream Internet radio to our cars, and perhaps even adopt a 3D-style interface–only without the clunky glasses.
“You’re going to see tremendous innovation in the browser space in the coming years,” says Linus Upson, Google’s vice president of engineering. “We really want the Web as a platform to get to the point where you can do anything on the Web that you can do on Windows, the Mac, or the iPhone.”
Google…

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12
Jun 10

Independent App Stores Take On Google’s Android Market

But it’s all kosher because, unlike Apple, Google allows for multiple app stores to exist on the Android operating system.

…Multiple app stores can exist on the Android phone and apps don’t have to be approved before they hit the official Android app store.

In an intensely crowded app world, getting noticed is the big challenge. Finding Facebook, Shazam or Pandora on the Android Market is easy. But for smaller apps like Time Lapse or Zum Zum, the key to survival is finding enough eyeballs.
There are 50,000 apps in the Android Market, while your phone lists only 50 apps at a time, says Hoogsteder. You are seeing just a fraction of what’s out there.
That’s why many new Android app stores such as AndroLib and AppBrain have focused on being meta-stores, places that aggregate and let you search Android apps. But to actually download the apps, users have to go to the Android Market.
AndSpot and SlideMe are a step ahead. They are trying to convince enough developers to publish apps directly to their stores, in addition to offering them on the official Google Market. So users who have SlideMe or AndSpot will never have to go to the…

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Independent App Stores Take On Google’s Android Market

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11
Jun 10

Apple iOS 4 vs. Google Android 2.2: How Do They Stack Up?

The competition between Apple and Google is getting intense as the two companies battle for supremacy in the smartphone business. Last month, Google updated its Android operating system, introducing Android 2.2, aka FroYo. On Monday, Apple shot back by making its latest mobile operating system, iOS 4 — formerly called iPhone OS 4.0 — official.

…I don’t know if these points have been made because the pettiness of the multitasking debating has made me lose interest in reading the rest of the comments but here are my two cents (3 gripes really):1. Why aren’t widgets mentioned or better yet customization in general? One of the biggest strengths of Android is that it allows you to make the device your own. The biggest strength of iPhone is that is creates a single experience that is intuitive and easy for all to use. Both have their merits but will likely appeal to different types of users and therefore very important in a comparison of this type.2. Copy and Paste I feel should have been expounded upon in terms of where and when you can implement it. For example Android is very inconsistent in terms how well the feature will work (i.e. within web browser vs. sms).3. You seem to pick and choose when you will acknowledge that “there is a (3rd party) app for that” for Android. For instance the e-mail app that comes with HTC Sense can thread e-mails. Sure…

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Apple iOS 4 vs. Google Android 2.2: How Do They Stack Up?

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9
Jun 10

Switching from iPhone to Android

After three years as a loyal iPhone user, I’m thinking about making the switch to a phone running Google Android. I’m looking for something new, Android is looking good nowadays, and Apple’s creepy corporate culture is wearing me down.

…T charts said that I had excellent coverage.
Then came the EVO. I canceled my iphone, sold it on Ebay, and jumped to Sprint. I have a family share plan, which means that I instantly saved around 20 bucks. I also have not had one dropped call since I have been using the phone! I’m fortunate enough to have 4g in the city that I live in. If you don’t have 4g, the Evo is still an excellent 3g device.
Okay, so now this is my take on the Evo. Great internet browsing, google voice is flawless, clear call quality, excellent speaker, very responsive, love the widgets, and I love the screen. Battery life is okay, App store still needs some work, power button is awkward, and I believe they could have done away with two or three of the touch sensitive buttons. I feel like I’m pressing to many buttons to get where I need to be.
When I compare the iphone to the Evo the only thing I can say is, “The iphone is just simple.” Steve Jobs has been successful with this device because they are all about parsimony.” BUT if you…

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Switching from iPhone to Android

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25
May 10

WWDC 2010: An Apple Wish List

Steve Jobs has turned up the hype for his WWDC 2010 keynote. The conference for Apple developers begins June 7, and Apple’s chief executive has emerged once again through e-mail, saying Apple fans “won’t be disappointed” and that there’s “Not a chance” Google’s Android is surpassing the iPhone.

…T tries to rope people into long-term commitments, the less attractive it’ll be.
iPad OS 4 Details
Jobs was all about the iPhone when he outlined the next iPhone OS upgrade in April. iPhone 3GS users will get their long-awaited multitasking, Artwork: Chip Taylorwallpaper, and home screen folders this summer, probably soon after WWDC, but the update for iPad won’t arrive until the fall. If there won’t be any new features — my unfulfilled wishlist for the iPad is mostly the same as with the iPhone — I’d at least like to see the new OS in action on the big screen.
Return of the Mac
WWDC is typically the venue for announcing new MacBooks and MacBook Pros, but Apple already took care of that in April. A new version of Mac OS X also seems unlikely, as Snow Leopard launched less than a year ago. What’s left? Maybe a refresh of the MacBook Air, hopefully with better battery life. It’s long overdue even if the ultrathin craze has passed.
The Elusive Verizon iPhone
I still think that an iPhone for…

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20
May 10

Google: Android OS is short term, Chrome Linux is the future

Sergey Brin and others drop the bomb that Android’s dominance is fleeting During today’s media Q&A session, Google clarified its OS roadmap. Because of bandwidth limitations, current processor level, and HTML5’s infancy, the company doesn’t view ChromeOS, due out later this year, as a mainstream solution. The responsibi

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Google: Android OS is short term, Chrome Linux is the future

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19
May 10

Android Sales Surge, but Threats Loom

Latest research shows the popularity of Google’s mobile OS growing quickly, but can that growth continue?

…Blackberry 6 OS
Add Research in Motion to the pile of smartphone makers clamoring to make fun phones. The next version of Blackberry’s operating system improves the Web browsing experience with Webkit, and includes a “social networking feeds” application, crisper graphics, and flashier animations. Not mind-blowing in terms of innovation, but enough, perhaps, to keep Blackberry on top in the United States….

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