Mobile App Reviews

Just a quick update today.  What would you all think of some down to earth App reviews?  I would try to approach it from a user’s perspective and how the app would make your life easier or more fun/productive.  I notice that there are certain apps that don’t get enough fanfare considering their quality so I would like to start by highlighting them.  I’d focus primarily on Android since it is the device I use.  Post in the comments if this would appeal to any of you.  Thanks.

Why Apple needs Verizon

If one looks at the current mobile OS landscape, it’s not difficult to draw certain parallels with the history consumer desktop computing has endured over the last 30 years.  Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android are arguably the two hottest players in the smart phone market currently.  While Blackberry and Windows Phone are there, they aren’t generating the same degree of buzz or interest (yet) and that is producing a not so unique rift in consumer philosophy.

In one corner Apple maintains its closed environment with both hardware, software, and development.  In the other corner you have Google with Android, which as strange as it sounds mimics the position Microsoft had with Windows during its rise to dominance during the early 90s.  Google has a fast and growing mobile strategy that takes advantage of a variety of handsets and giving the end user freedom to develop and install software as they see fit.  Apple wants total and complete control, period, while Google is promotes more consumer choice and freedom.  I won’t argue which way is correct because it’s highly subjective based on user preference and arguments are had from both sides.  However one other differentiating factor is while Apple has been locked in with a single wireless carrier (AT&T), [another means to exert control over the user experience of the iPhone] Android is available on all major US carriers with flagship products on 3 of those 4:

• Droid Incredible (Verizon)
• Nexus One (T-Mobile)
• EVO (Sprint)

Each of those offerings provide exceptional competition to Apple’s iPhone 3GS on AT&T and from recent reports Android on a whole has a growth rate that is astonishing.

Apple needs to diversify their carrier options if they want to keep their lead.  Verizon has long been thought of as the logical choice for the iPhone (even Apple thought so during the initial launch but Verizon turned down the offer) thanks to their excellent network:  both in speed and reliability.  If Apple chooses to remain only on AT&T they limit their customer base and for various reasons (contract, dislike of carrier, etc.) make it difficult to get new users.  Meanwhile with Android being a solid OS that Google is grooming into quite a pedigree that is available on a variety of devices on a variety of carriers, it compounds Apple’s competition. 

People not willing to switch to AT&T are finding great alternatives just about everywhere else they look.  That is something that Apple must consider to stay relevant in this rapidly growing segment of computing.  If they don’t they risk repeating their misstep with their battle with Microsoft.  In early June it is expected that the next version of the iPhone will be announced at Apple’s WWDC, the world will surely be listening for another carrier to be revealed.

The next phase of computing

Over the last few years it has become increasingly apparent that the mobile phone and in particular the smart phone has gained in prominence not only as a communication device but also as a multi-function tool that facilitates our ability to complete our everyday tasks efficiently. In some cases enabling us to do things that weren't possible in recent memory. This trend is not an isolated instance but rather part of a much larger wave that  has every indication of growing and accelerating the more we become comfortable and reliant on being always connected to the Internet and each other.

Five years ago the world was accessing the Internet and staying connected to each other primarily through their personal computers. With the desire to be more mobile and the speed increases and advances in smaller and smaller hardware the desktop gave way to the laptop for many people and it sufficed. In present day the smart phone has increased in great strides in terms of computational power, storage capacity, interface methods, and screen size and resolution. This in combination with an always on 3/4g connection to the internet and the mobile phone is truly becoming or has already supplanted the main computer system for many.

This has come about by no small part from the iPhone and its associated app store, which greatly expands the perception of what a mobile phone is capable of. Granted these concepts that Apple has brought about have existed in some prior form but they do deserve the credit of popularizing it to the masses which opened the door for competitors such as Google to attempt and attract more people to the idea of mobile computing with their Android operating system. Microsoft also is taking their Windows Phone 7 in a new direction which again takes advantage of a ripe market that is eager to have the best. Apple, RIM, Microsoft and Google all are working frantically to snatch up those on the fence with the assurance that their platform is that mythical "best".
For certain though with this level of competition and the degree of quality we are already seeing in shipping products; the mobile computing platform will be and is the battlefield to watch going forward.

Picasa 3.5

This photo management program was updated this week for Windows and Mac OS X and even Linux.  As a Windows user I was quite pleased with this program, however I was always bugged by the way that it didn’t quite follow folder structures that I already had created on my hard drive.  In later versions they addressed this but I still felt it was unwieldy in terms of the control over how you viewed those folders, and caused me to look for something that suited my needs better (I found this in Windows Live Photo Gallery).

As far as this updated release the main feature is the ability to automatically identify faces, which is very handy for searching for particular people.  Geo location is also included now, as well as an improved tagging interface—both of which add a lot of power to this program and add more value to the equation when comparing similar offerings.

One problem I did encounter is that my RAW files from my dSLR camera are still not fully supported it seems (they load but are darker than they should be).  I am using a Canon EOS Rebel T1i, which I should mention load and look fine in WLPG.

If you are already a Picasa user then this update is a must get.  If you’re looking to start better managing your photos it’s a fine choice but if you’re a Windows user I would also check out Windows Live Photo Gallery and see what better suits your preference.

Picasa Download   Windows Live Photo Gallery Download

Google takes a break

This will be a short one but for about roughly an hour this morning for some people (I was only affected around 20 minutes) Google search results were listed as malware and would only display Google’s warning page upon clicking.  The results were still accessible if you adjusted the URL, however hardly convenient if you are doing any serious searching.  In the meantime I know I got use out of Live Search, which picked up the slack as I’m sure it did for many others around the world or another alternative.