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.

Amazon: the Herald of destruction for Android

Amazon this week launched their own competing app store for Android. With only a fraction of the catalog that the official Android Market has, it is still off to a strong start.  Various promotions and free paid apps of the day are being used to lure people to put forth the effort to install the Amazon App Store itself. This is bad news for the longevity of the platform.

Let's be honest, greed is the elemental focus that is driving Amazon's motives.  They see the money being left on the table and being the huge superstore they are, expansion into mobile apps is good from a business sense but ultimately the death knell for Android as a leading platform.  Android is already suffering from the latest industry buzzword:  fragmentation, whether real or perceived, the mobile OS surely doesn't need any more.

The problem isn't so much at present but fast forward a year and now, thanks to Amazon paving the way, we have app stores from Target, Wal-mart, buy.com, Facebook, Walgreens? What a mess! Why put the burden of app management for updates on the user? Each store will undoubtedly have their own update mechanisms and each store will certainly not have identical app catalogs meaning the user is always in question to which store has the app they want. Don't forget the versioning problem either, you may be running an out of date app due to which store you bought it from thanks to approval processes.  App fragmentation now? Imagine the incompatibilities that could arise from such a system. The seeds of that system have been planted this week.

I reiterate: why is this added complexity being pushed to users? A central repository for apps and updates is easy to manage and to communicate. For the sake of money this idea is fading.

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.

iPad: Sifting though the hype

Technorati Tags: apple. ipad,iphone

As many of you know Apple announced their much rumored tablet computing platform the iPad. There were rumors upon rumors upon rumors leading up to this announcement many of which were absurd (solar charging, etc.). What shocked me the most however is how the device didn't live up to even the most modest of expectations and in many ways embodied a product that many tech-heads do not want.

Steve Jobs made the argument for a third computing platform that sat between a smart phone and a laptop. He further added that netbooks were thought to be that gap filler but he snidely mentioned that they were nothing more than cheap laptops that were underpowered and ran clunky PC software. Lastly he mentions that for a new platform to be successful or even needed it would have to do certain tasks best, of which I agree. The problem is that I don't think that the iPad meets those criteria.

It runs a version of the iPhone OS and not a full version of Mac OS X, which is an immediate identifier to most that this is already more of a consumer electronics device rather than a full fledged computer that many hoped it would be. Touch is important and perhaps OS X isn't designed for it but the fact remains that the scope of the iPhone OS is a hindrance for growth in this new form factor. Is that limitation by design though? Is this device aimed more at the casual user someone who doesn't need nor want a full computing  experience?  Many Apple fans would have you believe so and it's possible they are correct. Apple has always centered around ease of use and bringing technology to people who wouldn't otherwise use it and make it simple. I get that very impression when looking at the iPad: simple. We have to remember that simplicity is both a good and bad thing depending greatly on who you are, what you expect and what you want to do.

That begs the question then of who is this device for? If we presume the non tech crowd then it is fine as they likely already have an iPod at the very least and can pick up how to use this quickly not having to concern themselves with the details of running a full computer. I believe that many were envisioning a tablet from Apple that would be a true revolution and not an evolution from the iPhone/iPod Touch and were greatly let down. I think it would be fantastic if it was a little more powerful and it doesn't need a full desktop OS to accomplish this but it does need a bit more function to appeal to both crowds.

Perhaps we can see this happen in version 2.  Until then I look forward to what this product will accomplish but more importantly what products it will inspire from other companies to fill the obvious gap left behind by Apple.

The Zune HD

Let me start off by saying that the Zune HD is a fantastic device and its media playback software on Windows is equally impressive.  I have spent many weeks prior to its launch researching everything I could about it.  With Its main competitor being the iPod Touch, Microsoft knew that they would have to release something incredible.  The good news is that they have but there is a catch.  That catch being that while the Zune HD trumps the iPod Touch in music and video playback it also fails to realize that people have come to expect more from their handheld devices.  More functionality and value is required if they are carrying around yet another piece of tech.  

The iPhone OS App Store has really popularized the idea of adding new functionality to your device whether that be a phone or media player.  There are of course other applications available on other platforms (phones) but they simply can't compare to the relative overnight success Apple has managed to accomplish in getting the mainstream audience to adopt this practice.

Extending Apps to the iPod Touch only further accelerated its growth and provided a mostly static device with a wealth of new possibility especially for those who don't wish to get an iPhone.  For instance I am writing this post in an app on my iPod Touch that thanks to Wi-Fi I can easily send over the Internet to go live.  This is something I can't do on a Zune HD and more functionality and value for my limited pocket space is crucial.  Yes the Zune HD is a better media player, offering a more visual and aural experience but considering the Touch is still no slouch in that area and the extensibility it brings via apps it's still a very tough sell for tech savvy consumers who weigh many factors. 

It's true what Apple claimed back in early September, the iPod Touch is a mini computer.  With that in mind what would you prefer to carry with you; a mini computer or a Walkman?  Neither answer is wrong.

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