• Gizmodo
  • bestmodo
  • lifehacker
  • kotaku
  • Profile logout login

#smartphones#gtconsumerist

Gizmodo

Share Cancel
   
Upload an image | Add an image URL
×

logging in
  • FAQ. Include # before tag:
  • #tips,
  • #whitenoise,
  • #dealzmodo,
  • #broken,
  • etc.

New York, 10:30 AM
Thu Dec 17
65 posts in the last 24 hours

FR | IT | DE | SP | JP | AU | BR

Gizmodo Team

Tip your editors:

Editorial Director:
Brian Lam | | Twitter

Editor:
Jason Chen
| AIM | Twitter

Features Editor:
Wilson Rothman
| Twitter

Senior Contributing Editors:
Jesus Diaz
| AIM | Twitter
Mark Wilson, Reviews
| AIM | Twitter

Contributing Editors:
Matt Buchanan
| AIM | Twitter
Adam Frucci
| Twitter
Sean Fallon
| Twitter
Jack Loftus
| Twitter
John Herrman
| Twitter
Dan Nosowitz

Chris Mascari

Kat Hannaford
| Twitter
Rosa Golijan
| Twitter
Chris Jacob

Columnist:
Brendan I. Koerner

Interns:
Don Nguyen

Kyle VanHemert

Heroes and Friends

Comment Account Questions:

SUBSCRIBE TO Gizmodo RSS

New: Breaking news and daily top stories via email
9515 Subscribers
Gizmodo
  • Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.
    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Crashproof Crashproof
    12/16/09

    In reply to Google: Hold Up, There Aren't That Many Android Apps
    There are a number of Android apps that aren't in the Android marketplace but can be installed from alternate sources.

    I don't know if there are 4,000 of them, but still.
     Reply
    Crashproof was starred Crashproof was unstarred
    Image of miles002 miles002
    12/16/09

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    This is so relevant. I love my samsung moment, and I love my sprint plan, but I hate running 1.5... and I hate the grudging attitude sprint has towards improving the situation. If it weren't for a new contract, I might have picked up a droid. Still, I don't see how the nexus one could motivate sprint to get it together any more than verizon can...
     Reply
    Killjoy approved this comment miles002 was starred miles002 was unstarred
    Image of Killjoy Killjoy
    12/16/09

    @miles002: Well, here's a possibility: If Google sells a lot of phones directly, the carrier that will benefit the most is the carrier most willing to accomodate these users. Conversely, if Android-using Sprint customers start buying Googlephones and taking their plans to competitors, Sprint could decide to improve the situation for their existing Android customers. And the same for any other telco...
     Reply
    Killjoy was starred Killjoy was unstarred
    Image of CommentingpointlesslyisMeh CommentingpointlesslyisMeh
    12/16/09

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    This is a great read. I hope that Google succeeds in reigning in the ISP's by offering a phone that always has the best version of Android and therefore makes the other want to at least play catch up to match the Nexus.

    By the way. I have a rooted G1 and I'm running Eclair with Google voice navagation.

    Root your phone at your own risk folks!!!

    [forum.xda-developers.com]
     Reply
    CommentingpointlesslyisMeh was starred CommentingpointlesslyisMeh was unstarred
    Image of Gundem Gundem
    12/16/09

    @CommentingpointlesslyisMeh: I miss the good old days at XDA.

    All the hard work to make shitty WinMo less shitty.
     Reply
    Gundem was starred Gundem was unstarred
    Image of kllngtme kllngtme
    12/16/09

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    my comment was deleted?
     Reply
    Gundem promoted this comment kllngtme was starred kllngtme was unstarred
    Image of Gundem Gundem
    12/16/09

    @kllngtme: Do you suck at commenting? are you a troll? do you spam?

    if yes, maybe.
     Reply
    Gundem was starred Gundem was unstarred
    Image of bkchurch: The one guy who didn't buy Modern Warfare 2 bkchurch: The one guy who didn't buy Modern Warfare 2
    12/16/09

    In reply to Tegra 2 Coming in January: Nvidia Promises Netbooks, Smartphones and Smartbooks Galore
    Wouldn't it be funny if Nintendo's first HD capable system was a handheld?
     Reply
    CommentingpointlesslyisMeh promoted this comment bkchurch: The one guy who didn't buy Modern Warfare 2 was starred bkchurch: The one guy who didn't buy Modern Warfare 2 was unstarred
    Image of CommentingpointlesslyisMeh CommentingpointlesslyisMeh
    12/16/09

    @bkchurch: The one guy who didn't buy Modern Warfare 2: DSi HD via a Tegra 2 chip? Interesting. And not a bad idea depending on how strong the chip is.
     Reply
    CommentingpointlesslyisMeh was starred CommentingpointlesslyisMeh was unstarred
    Image of oholiab oholiab
    12/16/09

    In reply to Google: Hold Up, There Aren't That Many Android Apps
    To be honest, most of them are utter crap anyway. What we need is not more apps, but more dev on the current ones... Look at Twidroid!
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton promoted this comment oholiab was starred oholiab was unstarred
    Image of OMG_changed_my_name! OMG_changed_my_name!
    12/16/09

    In reply to Tegra 2 Coming in January: Nvidia Promises Netbooks, Smartphones and Smartbooks Galore
    "What we still don't know is what that means: If the original Tegra could decode 1080p video, what can the new one do? Decode 1080p video more enthusiastically?"

    It's really not that tough. If the Tegra 1 could decode 1080p video, then the new one can probably do it with lower CPU utilization and power consumption. I'm surprised the writers at Giz weren't able to guess that.

    Beyond that, I'm sure Nvidia improved the 3D performance of the chip, and hopefully went for an ARM Cortex A8 CPU instead of ARM 11.
     Reply
    CommentingpointlesslyisMeh promoted this comment OMG_changed_my_name! was starred OMG_changed_my_name! was unstarred
    Image of istuptinosil istuptinosil
    12/16/09

    In reply to Tegra 2 Coming in January: Nvidia Promises Netbooks, Smartphones and Smartbooks Galore
    The Tegra is built by NVIDIA, leaving Zune fans to suggest that it delivers industry leading, desktop-gaming type graphics that far exceed the capabilities of industry-standard mobile graphics. However, Tegra isn’t a scaled down version of NVIDIA’s PC graphics GPUs. The Tegra’s CPU/GPU package also uses DDR1 memory, introducing significant real world RAM bandwidth limits no matter how powerful the embedded GPU core is rated to be in theoretical terms.
    In contrast, the modern Cortex-A8 used in the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, Nokia N900, and Pandora game console represents the latest generation of ARM CPU cores. It also employs a DDR2 memory interface, erasing a serious performance bottleneck hobbling the Zune HD’s Tegra. It’s difficult to make fair and direct comparisons between different generations of technology, but NVIDIA’s own demonstrations of Tegra’s ARM11/integrated graphics show it achieving 35 fps in Quake III. The same software running on Pandora’s Coretex-A8 with SGX GPU core achieves 40-60 fps.
    onsense as it simply counts logical blocks common to all embedded SoC parts as “cores.” The CPU in the Tegra is a single ARM11 core. Even if the Tegra did supply multiple CPU cores, the Windows CE kernel used by the Zune HD doesn’t support multi-core SMP so it couldn’t make any use of them. Again, if you’re wondering why Microsoft was able to score the NVIDIA Tegra “before” Apple, it wasn’t due to any mobile industry clout or hardware experience on Microsoft’s end, but rather simply due to the fact that Apple has its own resources for designing and building advanced, state of the art mobile processors, and didn’t need to buy into the desperate hype NVIDIA is using to promote the runner up technology of Apple’s former SoC vendor.
     Reply
    CommentingpointlesslyisMeh promoted this comment istuptinosil was starred istuptinosil was unstarred
    Image of CommentingpointlesslyisMeh CommentingpointlesslyisMeh
    12/16/09

    @istuptinosil: that's really interesting. I wonder if Tegra 2 has solved the DDR1 issue and raised the FPS scores. Eventually I suppose that benchmarking phone graphic prowess will become a normal thing to do before buying. I bet that someday we will all be able to "upgrade" our phone GPU's when they become outdated (may be not...pipedream).
     Reply
    CommentingpointlesslyisMeh was starred CommentingpointlesslyisMeh was unstarred
    Image of ITLawMan ITLawMan
    12/16/09

    In reply to Google: Hold Up, There Aren't That Many Android Apps
    Where is my off-phone browsing for said apps? Where is the de-fragmentation of the OS? :(
     Reply
    OCEntertainment promoted this comment ITLawMan was starred ITLawMan was unstarred
    Image of OCEntertainment OCEntertainment
    12/16/09

    @ITLawMan: Off-phone browsing for Android apps: [www.androlib.com]
     Reply
    OCEntertainment was starred OCEntertainment was unstarred
    Image of dagamer34 dagamer34
    12/16/09

    @OCEntertainment: That website is one big giant ad. =/
     Reply
    dagamer34 was starred dagamer34 was unstarred
    Image of OCEntertainment OCEntertainment
    12/16/09

    @dagamer34: Really? I hadn't noticed.
     Reply
    OCEntertainment was starred OCEntertainment was unstarred
    Image of ITLawMan ITLawMan
    12/16/09

    @OCEntertainment: No, I was asking directly from google. I still cant belive that there is not one yet.

    Still... Doesn't fix the Fragmentation issue. :/
     Reply
    ITLawMan was starred ITLawMan was unstarred
    Image of seldomused seldomused
    12/16/09

    In reply to Google: Hold Up, There Aren't That Many Android Apps
    So what's the count on useful apps? I'd say 150
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton promoted this comment seldomused was starred seldomused was unstarred
    Image of Craig Cabrey Craig Cabrey
    12/16/09

    @seldomused: Ah. I see what you did there. The Rule of 150.
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton promoted this comment Craig Cabrey was starred Craig Cabrey was unstarred
    Image of Chambana Chambana
    12/16/09

    In reply to Google: Hold Up, There Aren't That Many Android Apps
    I almost feel like people would prefer to develop for the iPhone because there is only really one set of hardware, and resolution to worry about. Sure there are slight variations on phone models, but not like the android developing with all different screen types.

    Thoughts?
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton promoted this comment Chambana was starred Chambana was unstarred
    Image of PureSin PureSin
    12/16/09

    @Chambana: on the other hand, developing for android means more freedom, you can use any API you want and you dont have to worry about your app getting denied at the last step.
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton promoted this comment PureSin was starred PureSin was unstarred
    Image of eatamez2 eatamez2
    12/16/09

    @Chambana: Different screen types isn't an issue with Android 1.6. Similar to Windows apps, it doesn't matter what size screen/resolution (15" or 28") you're running, the apps scale to fit.

    Resolution is easy. hardware is a little more complicated. But if dev's put a "system requirements" (similar to PC games) such as "made for 2.0 or up", or "designed for droid", then bam, problem solved. Most apps aren't hardware dependent, but camera apps and the sort are a different story.
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton promoted this comment eatamez2 was starred eatamez2 was unstarred
    Image of eatamez2 eatamez2
    12/16/09

    @eatamez2: *aren't
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton promoted this comment eatamez2 was starred eatamez2 was unstarred
    Image of sharkync sharkync
    12/16/09

    In reply to Google: Hold Up, There Aren't That Many Android Apps
    Give me 10 good apps and you can keep the other 19,990.
     Reply
    OCEntertainment promoted this comment sharkync was starred sharkync was unstarred
    Image of OCEntertainment OCEntertainment
    12/16/09

    @sharkync: *takes deep breath*

    1.) Astrid/Evernote
    2.) ChompSMS
    3.) Twidroid
    4.) Movies (from Flixster)
    5.) RemoteDroid (WiFi keyboard and mouse control of a desk/laptop)
    6.) ASTRO file and process manager
    7.) Last.fm/Pandora
    8.) Shazam
    9.) ShopSavvy
    10.) Yelp.Where

    ...To say nothing of all of the official Google apps (Voice/Goggles).

    Now, please to be giving me my 19,990 apps?
     Reply
    OCEntertainment was starred OCEntertainment was unstarred
    Image of NaeemTHM NaeemTHM
    12/16/09

    In reply to Google: Hold Up, There Aren't That Many Android Apps
    This App arms race is pretty silly. It's not the damn quantity that matters, it's the quality.
     Reply
    NaeemTHM was starred NaeemTHM was unstarred
    Image of Eulatos Eulatos
    12/16/09

    @NaeemTHM: There is correlation between quality and quantity though.

    1. You need shitty apps so you can have an idea of what a non shitty app feels like.

    2. Without quantity in anything, you will never find the diamond in the rough. And nobody likes piles of diamonds.... i mean, um.....
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton promoted this comment Eulatos was starred Eulatos was unstarred
    Image of TheSonOfKrypton TheSonOfKrypton
    12/16/09

    @Eulatos: You see....THIS is why I hearted this guy a while back....You see that LOGIC people!?!? Unmatched!
     Reply
    TheSonOfKrypton was starred TheSonOfKrypton was unstarred
    Image of Eulatos Eulatos
    12/16/09

    @TheSonOfKrypton: lol thanks.
     Reply
    Eulatos was starred Eulatos was unstarred
    Image of Hearthatvoiceagain Hearthatvoiceagain
    12/16/09

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    My thoughts on this is that Google needs to get the other members of the Open Handset Alliance to sort themselves out. If they want to be part of the Android experience they need to support it with fast updates so that we can all have the same experience. Maybe Google needs to lay down a minimum spec for each x.0 release so that everyone moves forward together. Sure people on older devices may be upset that they are getting left behind, but that was going to happen anyway, the way that mobile tech is advancing.
     Reply
    Hearthatvoiceagain was starred Hearthatvoiceagain was unstarred
    Image of The_Red_Monkey The_Red_Monkey
    12/16/09

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    Welcome to the problem the Microsoft has faced for decades and taken the blame for. If hardware was more consistent, ahem..Apple, then the kind of software compatibility issues would be out the window. No pun intended.

    Windows Mobile, Windows Phone or Windows or Android will face challenges when the hardware is out of their hands.

    I am a Windows Phone owner and all i can say is Thank You XDA.
     Reply
    kagekiri promoted this comment The_Red_Monkey was starred The_Red_Monkey was unstarred
    Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Login

Enter your username and password.

Please enter a username.
Please enter your password.
logging in
Login via Facebook | Sign Up | Forgot Password?

Reset Password

Please enter your email address to have your password reset.

Please enter your email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
requesting password reset

Register

Registering will give you a user profile and the ability to add other users as friends. To become a commenter, however, you need to audition.

Want to know more? Consult the Comment FAQ and legal terms.

Please enter a username.
Please enter a password.
Please confirm your password.
Passwords are not identical.
Please enter a valid email address.
registration sent, waiting for reply

Submit Your Comment

You don't need to login to comment. Just enter your email address below.

See how your address will be displayed in the Comment FAQ.

Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
logging in

Login with your Facebook or Gizmodo account.

Sign up here.



  • Archives
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Legal
  • Help
  • Report a Bug
  • FAQ
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.