• android,  apple,  google,  ios

    Google Admits Android Platform Fragmentation, Vows to Address Problem

    May 11, 2011 /

    After repeated denials from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Mobile VP Andy Rubin, the Internet search giant unveiled plans today to address fragmentation of the Android problem.

    Google will be pulling together a standards board of sorts, made up of OEMs and wireless carriers, with the intention of standardizing when and how Android updates would be rolled out to new and existing hardware.  The target is to have Android hardware supported with software updates for at least 18 months.

    You may recall that things got a little bit heated between Google and Apple late last year, with Apple CEO Steve Jobs lacing into the issue of Android fragmentation during the company’s October, 2010 quarterly conference call.

    “Unlike Windows, however, where most pc’s have the same user interface and run the same app, Android is very fragmented. Many Android OEMs, including the two largest, HTC and Motorola install proprietary user interfaces to differentiate themselves from the commodity Android experience. The users will have to figure it all out.” “We think Android is very, very fragmented and becoming more fragmented by the day. And as you know, Apple’s provides with the integrated model so that the user isn’t forced to be the systems integrator.” (Source: CNNMoney)

    The few mobile software developers that I’ve talked to in the past six months all cited platform fragmentation as the main reason why they were sticking with iOS application development for the time being.  Hopefully, Google can get their act together and provide more clear guidelines on the modification of the Android platform because getting OEMs and carriers to all go in the same direction is about as difficult as herding cats.

    [Via Electronista.com…]

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  • blackberry,  rim,  rumors

    Rumor: New BlackBerry Handsets On the Horizon

    May 10, 2011 /

    Late last week a friend of my told me that she was interested in renewing her contract with Sprint and what new BlackBerry phone she should get.

    While reading up on the Windows Phone event I just wrote about, I noticed that BGR.com also had written an article about the upcoming BlackBerry handsets that should be arriving at US carriers this summer.

    I think my favorite model is the GPS/Wi-Fi enabled edition of the Curve.  Call me crazy, but I was addicted to my Curve 8330 that I used in the six months between my Palm Treo 755p and my Palm Pre.  I also liked the Verizon exclusive BlackBerry Storm2.  It is the only smartphone that I liked using the on screen keyboard on.  (Hey, I just said to call my crazy!)

    If you are interested in reading about what to expect from Research In Motion this summer, check out BGR’s featured article.

    [via BGR.com…]

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  • apple,  ios,  microsoft,  windows phone

    Microsoft To Hold VIP Future of Windows Phone Event

    May 10, 2011 /

    BGR.com is reporting that Microsoft will be holding a VIP media event on May 24 to talk about what’s coming for the next release of their Windows Phone smartphone operating system.

    BGR blogger Todd Haselton writes:

    “We know Mango will offer Internet Explorer 9 with an integrated Twitter experience, better multitasking, and new apps such as Angry Birds, Skype, and Spotify. We’ve also heard that Microsoft will add Bing Audio for identifying music, Bing Vision for scanning bar codes, and voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation with Bing Maps, although none of these features have been confirmed by Microsoft just yet.”

    Sounds interesting.  The timing is also interesting to me because Microsoft will be holding their event just days before Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference, at which, they will be talking about the future of the iOS platform, Mac OS X, and hopefully, new cloud based services.

    By the way, over the weekend, I saw that the B&N Nook now supports apps, including the insanely popular Angry Birds game.  Is there any platform out there that Rovio hasn’t invaded yet?

    [Via BGR.com…]

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  • att,  bell,  hp,  pixi,  pre,  sprint,  verizon,  web os

    Rumor: HP webOS 1.4.5.1 Update On The Way

    May 8, 2011 /

    Call it a parting gift.  Call it a party favor.  Heck, it might as well be a case of Turtle Wax or a year’s supply of Rice-A-Roni, but HP is allegedly pushing out a very small maintenance update for devices running webOS 1.4.5.

    HP webOS 1.4.5.1 weighs in at an underwhelming 1MB and is reported to a bug fix release.  I’ve been checking my Sprint Pre for the last two days and there has been no notice of a new patch in the Updates application.  I’ve also checked the HP Palm support website, and the webOS Updates pages for the Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi, and Pixi Plus for Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and Bell don’t list any updates.

    Someone keeping watch over the Twitter @webOSdev account claims the update is real and that they are “just cleaning up some bugs.”  Hopefully, one of the bugs that will get fixed in the update is the annoying HTML tag error in the Contacts notes field that was fixed in webOS 2.x, but not in the 1.4.x software line.

    I’ll keep an eye out for the webOS 1.4.5.1 update and let you know if it finally arrives on my original Sprint Palm Pre.  The Palm webOS 1.4.5 update was first rolled out for the Sprint Palm Pre on August 10, 2010.  Additionally, HP has not yet released the details of their “alternative plans” are for customers who, according to them, will not be receiving the HP webOS 2.0 update.

    [Via PreCentral.net…]

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  • astraware,  bn,  ereader,  games

    Astraware Games Now Available for Nook Color

    May 7, 2011 /

    Astraware® is excited to announce the launch of four games, now available on Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Color Reader’s Tablet. The Astraware games are available through NOOK Apps™, a collection of high-quality applications launched this week for NOOK Color. As was announced on April 25, 2011 Barnes & Noble issued a major software update that delivered significant new features and content to its NOOK Color Reader’s Tablet including NOOK Apps, one of the most-requested features from NOOK Color customers.

    Astraware Mahjong, Astraware Solitaire, Astraware Sudoku, and Astraware Casino have all been optimized to take advantage of NOOK Color’s high resolution screen, and touchscreen controls. Astraware Mahjong is currently exclusive to NOOK Color on the Android platform for a limited time.

    “We’ve put together a selection of titles that are ideal for people who like to both relax and use their brains – which will be perfect for NOOK Color owners! With great features to make the games rewarding to play, and customisation to really make them your own, these will sit perfectly alongside the books, magazines, and entertainment that NOOK Color owners already enjoy!”

    All 4 games can be purchased for $4.99 each on device. NOOK Color customers can easily download each game in seconds from Shop on NOOK Color. For more information on NOOKcolor, visit http://www.nookcolor.com. For more information on Astraware games, visit: http://www.astraware.com.
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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes

    Apple Releases iOS 4.3.3 to Address “Locationgate” Bug

    May 5, 2011 /

    Today, Apple released the iOS 4.3.3 update for iPhone 4 (GSM), iPad, and iPod touch alongside of iOS 4.2.8 for the iPhone 4 (CDMA).

    Today’s updates are intended to address the location tracking issues around the consolidated.db file that contacts a large amount of cellular and Wi-Fi hot spot location tracking data that is used by an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to help the device locate itself.

    Specifically, iOS 4.3.3 and iOS 4.2.8 address:

    • Reduces the size of the cache
    • No longer backs the cache up to iTunes
    • Deletes the cache entirely when Location Services is turned off
    Today’s updates can be applied to the iPhone 4 (GSM model), iPad and iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch (4th and 3rd edition), and iPhone 4 (CDMA model).

    Use iTunes 10 on your Mac or Windows PC to download the software and update your device.

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  • hp,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    webOS 2.x for the Sprint Pre? Probably Not.

    May 2, 2011 /

    There is an interesting thread that I picked up this weekend over at PreCentral.net, thanks to last Friday’s Pre Doodle cartoon.

    It seems that PreCentral forum member “zacky59” chatted with a Sprint customer service rep and inquired about webOS 2.x being released for the Sprint Pre and Pixi.  The Sprint CSR told the customer that an update was coming as early as May 2, 2011.

    I don’t think that this is a hoax or anything on zacky59’s part.  I just don’t believe that Sprint will be releasing an update for a 2-year old smartphone.  Time has passed the original Pre and Pixi by.  HP is has moved on to the Pre 2, the Veer, the Pre3, and their new tablet, the TouchPad.  I’d be shocked if Sprint and HP roll out an update to webOS 2.-anything.

    How can I be so sure you ask?  What proof to do I have that an update is unlikely?  Beside the age of the phone, Sprint hasn’t announced any new plans for any of HP’s new webOS smartphones.  The webOS development team is hard at work on tweaking up webOS 2 for the Veer and the Pre3, not to mention webOS 3.0 for the TouchPad.  Aside from the thread, there has been no other blog coverage of an impending software update.  And lastly, HP, via their Palm website, clearly states that there is no update coming for the Sprint Pre.

    If you head over to the webOS 2.0 Update Info page, and enter the first five characters from a Sprint Pre, you are rewarded with the following message:

    “Your device is not able to support the new features of webOS 2.

    Therefore, your device will not receive a webOS 2 update. The latest software version for your device is webOS 1.4.5.”

    Now I did play with a legitimate beta build of webOS 2.0.1 on my Pre a few months ago.  Yes, it did run on my Pre.  No, it wasn’t fully finished or optimized for my hardware.  Think about the last time you upgraded your PC – the old one was working, but, gosh, it was slow.  Same thing holds true for webOS 2.0.1 on the Pre.

    Would I like to seen an optimized version of webOS 2 for my Pre be released this month from Sprint?  You betcha’!  But I’m not going to get my hopes up.

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  • android,  google,  ipad,  motorola,  sprint

    Motorola Sells 250,000 Xoom Tablets

    April 29, 2011 /

    Motorola Mobility, the handset and tablet device making spin off company from the Motorola mother ship recently announced their Q1, 2011 financials.

    According to BGR.com, Motorola shipped something north of 250,000 Xoom Android powered tablets.  Not too bad for a device that doesn’t have a fruit logo on the back, and certainly better than the ugly sales figures that are being tossed around by analysts for RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook.

    Motorola’s press material reads:

    “The Company shipped a total of 9.3 million mobile devices, including 4.1 million smartphones and more than 250,000 Motorola XOOM™ tablets. In the first quarter of 2010, the Company shipped 8.5 million mobile devices, including 2.3 million smartphones.”

     The good news for Motorola Mobility is that they are selling more Droid devices, smartphone and tablets, than they were a year ago and is holding their own against the pack of iPad wanna be devices.

    If you are looking to pick up a Moto Xoom, Sprint announced today that they will begin selling Wi-Fi only version of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb powered tablet starting on May 8 for the “low” price of $600.

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  • apple,  att,  iphone,  verizon

    Apple White iPhone 4 Now Available

    April 28, 2011 /

    After months of delays and false starts, the iPhone 4 is now finally available in white.  Starting today, the elusive white iPhone 4 can be purchased directly from Apple at their amazing retail stores or online at Apple.com.  You can also purchase a white iPhone directly from AT&T and Verizon locations or their online stores too.

    The white iPhone has the same internals as the black model and the only difference between the two versions is the front and back plates and the home button.

    The pricing for the white iPhone 4 is the same as the black model: $199 for the 16GB version; $299 for the 32GB version.  A new two year service agreement is required to get the special pricing.
    It’s rainy out today, so skip standing in line and use one of the handy links below to order your white iPhone 4 and stay warm and dry.

    Apple Online Store…
    AT&T Online Store…
    Verizon Online Store…

    Phew!  I’m glad that’s behind us now!  My guess that by this afternoon the iOS 5.0 and iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 rumors will be back in full force.

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