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New York, 10:09 PM
Wed Dec 16
66 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Crashproof Crashproof
    06:29 PM

    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 CommentingpointlesslyisMeh CommentingpointlesslyisMeh
    04:33 PM

    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
    04:58 PM

    @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 Hearthatvoiceagain Hearthatvoiceagain
    02:53 PM

    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 clR3vv clR3vv
    02:10 PM

    In reply to Tegra 2 Coming in January: Nvidia Promises Netbooks, Smartphones and Smartbooks Galore
    with a wopping 1 min of battery life!
     Reply
    clR3vv was starred clR3vv was unstarred
    Image of Kakkoii Kakkoii
    02:53 PM

    @clR3vv: Yeah, the Tegra is actually the most efficient system on a chip available. It has many different smaller dedicated processors, and only throws powers towards the ones it needs at the moment. Such as the HD Video Encoder or the Decoder.

    [apcmag.com]

    The eight cores are:

    * ARM 11
    * ARM 7
    * GPU
    * 2D Engine
    * HD Video Encoder
    * HD Video Decoder
    * Audio
    * Imaging

    "The Zune HD’s battery capacity is 660 mAh, about 16 percent less than the 789 mAh battery in the new iPod touch. Yet the Zune promises a longer run time than the touch for both music and videos."

    Ipod Touch Battery life:
    Music 30 Hours
    Video 6 Hours

    Zune HD:
    Music 33 Hours
    HD Video 8.5 Hours
     Reply
    CommentingpointlesslyisMeh promoted this comment Edited by Kakkoii at 12/16/09 3:00 PM Kakkoii was starred Kakkoii was unstarred
    Image of HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
    01:59 PM

    In reply to Tegra 2 Coming in January: Nvidia Promises Netbooks, Smartphones and Smartbooks Galore
    I still want a Tegra-based cellphone with a hard gamepad built in (something that looks like the PSPGo) and big name studios developing games for it. I would love that.
     Reply
    HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was starred HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of spookyu spookyu
    02:49 PM

    @HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: Sounds kind of like that nokia phone (I think it was nokia, having a tough time remembering because it was laughed into obscurity).
     Reply
    spookyu was starred spookyu was unstarred
    Image of zeroprime zeroprime
    02:59 PM

    @spookyu: The N-gage?
     Reply
    HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment zeroprime was starred zeroprime was unstarred
    Image of HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
    03:32 PM

    @zeroprime: Yeah, but that was terrible execution. It still had a shitty cellphone screen, for one, and you had to take out the battery to change games. And the thing was HUGE, by cellphone standards.

    And don't forget sidetalking.

    @lixiaochenx277: Include a cell-phone radio for online multiplayer and to consolidate my phone into the device, and I'm sold.
     Reply
    Edited by HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. at 12/16/09 3:34 PM HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was starred HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of Joe Stoner Joe Stoner
    01:10 PM

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    I'm sure the Linux fans won't be happy with the comparison, but this reminds me very much of "Linux on the desktop" - everyone gets way too many options for the source of the OS, the UI, the source of applications, and so on. You end up with a system that looks clunky, is tough to maintain, and has a whole pile of hodgepodge applications that all sorta do what you want, but now quite.

    And to annoy even further, this is exactly why I made the move to OS X and iPhone - I'd rather have just a few options for my OS, each of them developed by experts in the field, and know that anything made for the OS will work well. Applications are easy to install, anything that wants to hook into the system knows exactly where those hooks are, and I don't burn any brain cells trying to figure out where the system preferences are for a particular app.
     Reply
    Joe Stoner was starred Joe Stoner was unstarred
    Image of OCEntertainment OCEntertainment
    12:58 PM

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    John, I appreciate your articles and you usually have one of the best perspectives IMHO of authors on this site, but I'm gonna have to partially disagree with you here.

    I think that fragmentation merely has the potential to screw up the market. The statement that "it needs to be tightly controlled to remain consistent" is, itself, true. But the implication that consistency is necessary for success is a bit untrue.

    The majority of users have yet to grasp that Android is a platform like Blackberry and not a phone like the iPhone. I had to explain to several people that my G1 runs the same software as the Droid (just an older version). Forget Sense, Blur, Rachael and whatever else there is.

    Most people simply take whatever looks good and are happy with it.

    There's two important parts that do need to be consolidated, though. For one, the developer experience. Google can speed through fifteen updates to Android a year. Small app companies can't. Google needs to make that process easier for them. Keep them updated to new developments. None of this dropping 2.0 source code and SDK a couple weeks before the Droid hits. The Market is what ties everything together. If the Market is the same (or similar enough), then users who don't realize that their Sense phone is just as Android as their friends Rachael phone won't care. This same logic extends to keeping manufacturers up-to-date enough to move their updated UIs out the door.

    The other important part is the Google Experience brand. There's off-shoots of Android that can lag a version behind without major consequence (though Sense phones still being at 1.5 while we're on the brink of 2.1 is unacceptable), but the Google Experience phones need to be unified. If the Nexus One is a Google Experience phone (and I'm certain it is), then it needs to be running whatever the Droid is running. Whether that means the Nexus One gets 2.0 or the Droid gets a quick update to 2.1. And as many other Google Experience phones as possible, too. I realize the G1 has its own memory issues, but the MT3G has no such problems.

    The Google Experience brand will be the flagship for Android. The other brands stick with their "with Google" subtitle and quietly build up Android's marketshare and app opportunities. Some users will know, others won't. Doesn't matter.

    I think you're right that some other companies are dropping the ball on this, but I think that Google has made more than a few mistakes with Android, too. The process leading up to 1.6 was fairly open. We knew a lot of what was coming before it got there. Devs (whether UI or app) need to know what's coming. Well in advance. They didn't with 2.0, and 2.1 isn't much better. And the leaks are showing 2.1 to add more than just a little polish.

    Honestly, I think that whatever backroom deals there were that kept the Droid so hush-hush created more of a problem than a lack of control.

    Either open up or shut down, but both at the same time is destined to confuse people.
     Reply
    OCEntertainment was starred OCEntertainment was unstarred
    Image of John Herrman John Herrman
    01:05 PM

    @OCEntertainment: Yeah, I didn't mean to exonerate Google here, because as you mentioned, even plain vanilla Android devices are fragmented. That's all Google.

    That said, Google is notorious for being internally uncommunicative, and the dev periods for the Droid and Nexus One almost certainly overlapped. Im see this more as an admission of fault, or an attempt to right the ship. And there really isn't a graceful way to transition from the old Android model--the one that Google came up with a few years ago, before we had a strong precedent for the benefits of platform control--and a completely new one.
     Reply
    John Herrman was starred John Herrman was unstarred
    Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies!
    12:36 PM

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    So Google didn't know that carriers don't push updates even though they're supposed to?

    The only phone I've ever owned that got a firmware update was the iPhone. My old Curve was stuck on 4.2 for ages, in no small part because RIM sat on their ass (though T-Mobile wasn't exactly prodding them along).
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred
    Image of StephenFS StephenFS
    12:44 PM

    @OMG! Ponies!: Both my Droid and my wife's Droid Eris have received OTA updates. So far so good.
     Reply
    OCEntertainment promoted this comment AkkiRonin approved this comment StephenFS was starred StephenFS was unstarred
    Image of OCEntertainment OCEntertainment
    01:06 PM

    @StephenFS: Harsh words for folks with an HTC Hero.
     Reply
    OCEntertainment was starred OCEntertainment was unstarred
    Image of LangleyAlcyone LangleyAlcyone
    12:36 PM

    In reply to How Carriers and Phone Makers Are Strangling Android (And How Google Could Save It)
    "Smartphone software is finicky and complicated, and so is the experience of using it. It needs to be tightly controlled to remain consistent, and because apps are the most important part of a smartphone platform nowadays, consistency is life or death."

    Interesting how this argument is diametrically opposed when it needs to be to counter or support claims to the contrary.

    Tight-knit ecosystem? Open it up so all can party and play!

    Haight-Ashbury free-for-all? Close it up, the contact buzz is too much!
     Reply
    HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment LangleyAlcyone was starred LangleyAlcyone was unstarred
    Image of HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
    12:48 PM

    @LangleyAlcyone: Because you have to go to one of the extremes, right? You can't have an ecosystem that both allows developers flexibility and keeps a leash on them, right?
     Reply
    HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was starred HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of LotharioKollx LotharioKollx
    12/15/09

    In reply to These 15 Super Close Video Game Faces Would Make Great Cellphone Wallpapers
    I would really love a Sonic one of these
     Reply
    Evangelion promoted this comment LotharioKollx was starred LotharioKollx was unstarred
    Image of MrHaroHaro MrHaroHaro
    12/15/09

    In reply to These 15 Super Close Video Game Faces Would Make Great Cellphone Wallpapers
    Needs more Solid Snake. Snake? Snaaaaaaake!!
     Reply
    Evangelion promoted this comment MrHaroHaro was starred MrHaroHaro was unstarred
    Image of MagicalTrev MagicalTrev
    12/15/09

    In reply to These 15 Super Close Video Game Faces Would Make Great Cellphone Wallpapers
    Sagat, Bowser, Donkey Kong, E. Honda, Helghast Soldier, Jiggly Puff, Ken, Kirby, Kratos, Master Chief, Mega Man, Pikachu, Ryu, Samus, Vega.

    I know I had to look up the one from Killzone, but where are people getting Snake and Link from?
     Reply
    Margatron promoted this comment MagicalTrev was starred MagicalTrev was unstarred
    Image of robots199 robots199
    12/15/09

    In reply to These 15 Super Close Video Game Faces Would Make Great Cellphone Wallpapers
    The master Chief one looks really dumb because of the lack of detail, I know its minimalistic but that is too minimal!
     Reply
    Evangelion promoted this comment robots199 was starred robots199 was unstarred
    Image of Mr.Gawn Mr.Gawn
    12/15/09

    In reply to These 15 Super Close Video Game Faces Would Make Great Cellphone Wallpapers
    i realize its classics BUT!!!
    NEEDS::
    1-Captain Falcon &/or Sonic &/or Fox
    2- LBP
    3- JOKER & Two-Face & Batman
    4- Roshach (Watchmen guy, however ya spell his name)
    5- Subzero/Scorpian/Reptile/Kano
    6- Cloud/Sephiroth
    7- B-Bomb & Chopper
    8- ANY CLASSIC FEMALES, so i can get my GF one, so we can have matchin shirts
     Reply
    Mr.Gawn was starred Mr.Gawn was unstarred
    Image of RJ Demands a Shrubbery RJ Demands a Shrubbery
    12/15/09

    @Mr.Gawn: Samus is female.
     Reply
    Evangelion promoted this comment RJ Demands a Shrubbery was starred RJ Demands a Shrubbery was unstarred
    Image of maven2k maven2k
    12/15/09

    In reply to These 15 Super Close Video Game Faces Would Make Great Cellphone Wallpapers
    The only ones I knew 100% is Donkey Kong and Kirby. Who's the first one that looks like Dilbert with an eye patch?

    Okay, after I looked at them further I can guess at Street Fighter, Picachu, Bowser, and Snake. I guess I'm not as lame as I thought I was (unless those are wrong, of course).
     Reply
    Edited by maven2k at 12/15/09 3:17 PM maven2k was starred maven2k was unstarred
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