Hasta La Gadget!

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

A few weeks ago I sat down with the father of Android, Andy Rubin. Andy’s a super smart person, having done stints at Apple, General Magic, WebTV and Danger before starting the Android project. We talked about a lot of things, and we particularly spent time discussing Android fragmentation. I’ve written in the past about my concern that the Android platform is fragmenting much like desktop Linux has over the years, and the potential for the platform to turn into a patchwork of devices and vendor specific modifications that bear little relationship with each other. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my conversation with Andy, and I’ve rewritten this column more than a few times as a result.

Today, there are at least five different versions of Android on the market. Many of them are highly customized to allow for new features and device differentiation, but that same customization also makes it harder for vendors to update them to the latest versions. New releases and versions of Android are often outdated by newer versions in the span of just a few weeks. For example, the Nexus One when released was capable of running apps like Google Earth that devices such as the Droid could not, because it ran Android 2.0, not 2.1.Tablet vendors complain their Android offerings lack features such as Android Market because Google forbids them to install the marketplace app, forcing them to create proprietary alternatives. It would appear Android is indeed fragmenting — but perhaps there are other forces at work.

When I spoke with Andy, he pointed out there are several classical symptoms of platform fragmentation. First, older APIs no longer work and break in new releases. Second, multiple application marketplaces offer different applications that lack uniformity across platforms. Both of these are true when you look at desktop Linux. Neither are true of Android.

Continue reading Entelligence: Is Android fragmented or is this the new rate of innovation?

Entelligence: Is Android fragmented or is this the new rate of innovation? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 May 2010 20:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are some devices that are universally loved or reviled — I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think HTC EVO 4G is awesome, or anyone who doesn’t think the WikiReader was awful. Then there are some that seem to be quite polarizing, and these are the ones that I’m usually most interested in — just listen to Joshua Topolsky and me debate Kin on the Engadget Podcast, for example. The latest of these polarizing devices is the Sony Dash. The Dash is hard to categorize. It’s a connected screen, based in part on the venerable Chumby. Nilay Patel was somewhat lukewarm about it. Ross Rubin likes it and the Wall Street Journal was somewhat ambivalent about it. Here’s what I’ve learned from a few days living with one on my nightstand.

1. The vision is fundamentally correct. There’s a lot that needs to improve about the Dash, both from a marketing and implementation perspective, but the core idea is sound. Microsoft likes to talk about “three screens and a cloud” and I agree with that vision — my phone number is 408-3-SCREEN — but it’s really a statement about consumption, creation and communication. Count the number of PCs, TVs, phones, game devices, media players and navigation devices you have around the house and interact with — it’s more like 33 screens. The idea that there’s going to be multiple connected screens that consumers interact with is real.

Continue reading Entelligence: Thirty three screens and a cloud

Entelligence: Thirty three screens and a cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 May 2010 20:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adding even more drama to an pivotal and transformative year in tech, last week HP announced it will buy Palm for the nice round sum of 1.2 billion dollars — a move that will position it as a major player in the crowded mobile market. HP is no stranger to mobility — the iPaq was once a defining mobile product — but over the years the company has been unable to replicate that success with similar efforts in as the dynamic shifted from PDAs to phones. Buying Palm is a quick way of getting back in the game.

This deal underscores the velocity of mobile and how that speed is affecting long term winners and losers. Many had written off Palm’s relevance in the market, which might have been a correct assessment if Palm had ended up elsewhere. But I think Palm found a good home. In addition to Todd Bradley, the former CEO of Palm who now leads HP’s Personal Systems Group, there are many Palm alumni at HP. This means that there should be a relatively smooth transition and overall good cultural fit. That’s important because time is of the essence — the market won’t wait around for HP to integrate Palm.

Continue reading Entelligence: Meet H/Pre

Entelligence: Meet H/Pre originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve been a technology industry analyst for some time now, and I can tell you that the benchmark of a great analyst is the quality of the advice you give based on how well you’re able to forecast trends. In my tenure, my team hasn’t often been wrong. But let me share a secret — here’s one where we totally missed the ball.

A vendor — who shall remain nameless — briefed us in the late 90s with the idea of creating a line of PCs targeted at a mass market audience, with a special focus on the female demographic. The idea was to build PCs in a range of and shapes and focus the marketing efforts through places like Cosmo instead of the usual PC magazines. We were asked to evaluate the plan, and without the slightest hesitation I responded that it was the dumbest idea I’d ever listened to — period. (This is the tact that only an analyst can bring to the table.) I recall saying something to the effect of no user will ever buy a PC because it comes in five delicious flavors. The vendor forgot all about their plans and our analysis proved accurate — until Steve Jobs and the iMac came along. If I had to put a stake in the ground that’s when technology became fashionable.

Continue reading Entelligence: Technology is fashion and the new fashion is technology

Entelligence: Technology is fashion and the new fashion is technology originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slates may seek to occupy a device class in between smartphones and notebooks, but they have their own dynamics. If the closest real-world counterpart for the PC was the desktop, the closest real-world counterpart for the slate may be the clipboard, a platform that aggregates and recalls important resources on the go but isn’t something most people need access to all the time.

And with the change in usage comes different design priorities. Like a laptop, slates will be judged on factors such as speed, screen size, and battery life. But one spec that will take on new significance compared to other mobile devices is weight. This stems from the slate’s unique hybrid of smartphone and notebook usage scenarios. The natural limits of the size of smartphones put a de facto upper limit on how heavy they can be. A few ounces isn’t going to make a big difference in arm fatigue, even for most calls; there are Bluetooth headsets to alleviate longer ones. And the nature of smartphone apps also tends to favor short usage sessions.

Continue reading Switched On: The weighty issues of slates

Switched On: The weighty issues of slates originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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