Oct 29

How Palm Lost (Like Apple in the ’80s)

Posted in: Android, Apple, feature, Google, iPhone, palm, palm pre, Smartphones, Today's Chili, top, webos

The Droid, and Android 2.0 as a whole, isn’t going to kill the iPhone. That’s ridiculous. Teamed with the iPhone, though, it just straight up murdered Palm—the same way that Microsoft brought Apple to its knees decades ago.

Reviews aren’t even hitting yet, but the early consensus is clear: Android 2.0 is the first version of Google’s OS that’s really grown-up. And now, with hardware like the Droid and the Hero, it’s not just a technological triumph, it’s the kind of thing that people—and not just leery, jaded tech blog readers—can connect with, and actually use. This is huge for Android.

iPhone OS is already a superpower with massive adoption, a huge app store and a bright future. They’re not going anywhere. They learned their lessons about the importance of volume and apps when I was still a kid. But what about the other two smartphone players that consumers really love? You know, Google vs Palm? Think Apple vs Microsoft, circa the late 80s.

Hear me out: With version 2.0, Android is sitting on the cusp of greatness. And Palm? They’ve got a nice OS, but with just two handsets and a tiny user base they’re up against a wall. Google is old Microsoft: They’ve got a open development platform, tons of hardware partners. They’re going to start having problems with this strategy—you know, fragmentation, device support issues, etc—but as with Microsoft, it’s going to serve them well, and make them huge. Palm is old Apple: With inhouse hardware and iffy developer support, they’re just insular. What that means:

• Hardware partners: Who isn’t developing an Android phone nowadays? Motorola, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, and HTC dwarf Palm’s hardware partner list, which consists of “Palm.” Don’t get me wrong, the Pre and Pixi are nice pieces of hardware—like Apple always had—but it’s tough to compete with such a broad lineup with just two devices, both of which are somewhat polarizing. Android is the new Windows Mobile, but in a good way.

• Apps: Apple learned from their past mistakes, and actively courted developers from the start. Android’s start was slower and more organic, but seems to so far correlate with handset adoption, meaning it’s growing, and it’s about to grow a lot more. More apps=a better user experience=joy for Google. Palm has introduced paid apps, but it’s not clear why anyone would want to invest in development for such a small userbase. (The first paid app, if you remember, was an air hockey game.)

• Apps, again: Android came before webOS, and likewise the Android SDKs came well before mojoSDK. But no matter how far into the future you look, Google has Palm beaten from a developer standpoint. If Android handset sales start to approach iPhone territory—tens of millions—the combination of a huge potential market and powerful development tools, especially SDK 2.0, will make the choice for developers obvious: Go with Apple, or go with Google. Palm won’t even register.

• Resources: Google can dedicate tremendous amounts of money and time to developing Android, as their pastry-themed release schedule can attest to; Palm is hanging by a thread, and they haven’t issued a truly major update to their OS since it came out. Google can lose money on Android for as long as it wants—they’ve got Microsoft-level buoyancy, those guys—while Palm has to turn fast profit by building and selling phones, lest their nervous investors jump ship.

• Google is an app development powerhouse: Their apps are becoming more and more central to the general smartphone experience. Apple and Palm both use Google’s maps and search, but naturally, Android always has a later, greater version of both. It helps for the company behind a platform to supply a few killers apps for it too—just look at Office and Window 2.0.

And take what happened yesterday, with Google Navigation for Maps. Google can just will a free turn-by-turn navigation app into existence. Palm can’t do this. They can license Google’s technology, sure, but that leaves them at the mercy of a competitor.

BlackBerry handsets are safe in their own way—suits need their keyboards, and familiarity is worth a lot—and Windows Mobile is on a fixed heading for total irrelevance, as evidenced by their once-strongest ally, HTC, talking about the OS like it’s in hospice care. But there are just three true consumer smartphone OSes out there—the ones that don’t feel like complicated smartphones, but which do all the same tricks.

And assuming Apple’s is safe—and it is—that leaves two. Like Microsoft once was in the desktop computing space, Google is poised for a meteoric rise, and like Apple, Palm should be bracing themselves for hard times. For all the similarities, though, there’s one difference: Palm probably won’t be able to pull through.

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Oct 28

First Look: Motorola’s Droid Is Memorable, But Won’t Make You Forget the iPhone

Posted in: Android, droid, motorola, Phones, Smartphones, Today's Chili, verizon

091028_motorola_droid_002
Like it or not, Motorola’s new Google-powered Droid smartphone will be compared to the iPhone.

The good news is that this feature-rich handset, running version 2.0 of Google’s Android OS, compares very favorably to the Goliath of the smartphone world as a utility mobile-computing device — and, oh yeah, a phone.

The bad news is that there may be too many good things going on to make using this device the quick, intuitive, out-of-the-box experience it should be. That’s a problem, given that the iPhone has set the usability bar so high.

An embarrassment of riches shouldn’t be a negative, and it really isn’t overall on the Droid, which goes on sale Nov. 6 to Verizon customers only. The tight integration of all things Google — maps overlaid on GPS, voice input all over the place, search that does not ask you to decide whether you are looking for something locally or on the net — are now more fully realized in this major upgrade to the mobile operating system that the search giant first released on a single handset, the T-Mobile G1.

This is very good thing for those who have become Google citizens and are already used to entrusting their contacts, documents and discovery needs to that cloud.

If you have a Gmail, Facebook or Microsoft Exchange account, it integrates seamlessly with the e-mail app. You can also configure the Droid to work with standard POP3 or IMAP internet mail accounts.

On the down side, there is no provision for syncing to an address book (or calendar) on your desktop. Nearly everything is in the Google cloud, which — given the recent Sidekick data-loss debacle — may not be the greatest selling point just now.

Like the iPhone and many other handsets this is a primarily a touchscreen device whose face is almost 100 percent screen — and a bright, crisp screen it is. Rather than take sides in the virtual-vs.-hardware keyboard debate, the Droid provides both. The hardware keyboard slides out in a familiar landscape mechanism, and it includes a 5-way directional pad, the better to allow you to keep your hands on the keyboard once you have them there.

The virtual keyboard appears when appropriate, landscape or portrait. And while the software keys appear to be narrower than those on the iPhone, they seem at least as easy to use. Another familiar feature is the “reality check” of a small pop-up displaying the key being pressed. And there is a type-ahead function which displays possible words, potentially saving you keystrokes.

On-board music purchase is from Amazon (at least), but when the Droid is connected to a computer, it’s read as an SD card, and dragging any tracks onto it makes them playable within the music app. The Droid also sports a 5-MP camera with autofocus, on-demand flash and video.

The Droid goes beyond the iPhone in two key areas: Like the Palm Pre, applications can run in the background, and switching among them is a smooth process. And as a robust GPS device it accepts and gives turn-by-turn verbal instructions, making it the closest approximation yet to a total GPS solution that obviates the need for a dedicated vehicle device. One caveat: It’s necessary to be connected to the 3G data service for course correction and other dynamic route features to work (and to even plot a course), so this is not a replacement for a GPS device in locales where Verizon 3G coverage is nonexistent or spotty.

Available apps? Android only offers about a tenth of the nearly 100,000 Apple has available, but that should change as Android handsets become more common. The first app I downloaded was Google Voice which, strangely, is not preinstalled — but then again, it isn’t available at all on the iPhone. On the Droid, you can set your Google Voice number to be the one that everyone sees when you call or text them, so you can switch to Verizon without worrying about giving everyone a new number or waiting for your old number to port over. That’s assuming you’re already using the phone-number-for-life that Google provides.

Navigation is not a touch-screen experience: Unlike the left-right/swipe metaphor there’s a hard “undo” button that takes you back step by step. In fact there are four hardware buttons to the iPhone’s one: Back, Menu (which does not activate from any given screen), Home and Search (which does).

The customizable screens can contain dozens of shortcuts — to contacts, bookmarks, anything — but there are only three of these screens: the “home” screen plus one to the left and one to the right, accessible by swiping. Think of these as a speed dial, with your entire collection of app icons in a sliding drawer. But these icons can be moved anywhere using touch/hold, and there is the gentlest of vibrating feedback to confirm your gesture. (This “haptic feedback” is the default and activates in too many contexts, including for every number you hit when manually entering a phone number. Fortunately, it can be turned off in the settings).

There’s one “feature” that is is sure to draw fire. On certain events (including when you connect to a power source), a computerized voice announces: “Droid.”

On version 2.1 please remove that, Google.

Check out Wired’s feature comparison chart below, and continue reading for more photos of the Droid.

  • Droid
  • iPhone 3G S
  • Network
  • Verizon/CDMA
  • AT&T/GSM
  • Display
  • 3.7-inch touchscreen
  • 3.5-inch touchscreen
  • Keyboard
  • Slide-out physical QWERTY, or virtual keyboard
  • Virtual keyboard
  • Weight
  • 6 ounces
  • 4.8 ounces
  • Connectivity
  • 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
  • 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
  • Operating system
  • Android 2.0 (Eclair)
  • iPhone 3.0
  • Multitasking
  • Yes. Answer e-mail and two-click access to six most recently run apps/shortcuts.
  • No multitasking capability. Only one app can be viewed at a time.
  • Camera
  • 5 megapixels, dual-LED autoflash
  • 3 megapixels, no flash, autofocus by tapping
  • Video
  • Capture & playback at 720×480 pixels, capture at up to 24 fps
  • Capture & playback at 640×480 pixels, 30 fps
  • App store
  • 10,000 apps available through Android Market
  • 92,000 apps available
  • Music support
  • Access to Amazon MP3 store through over-the-air wireless downloads
  • Syncs with iTunes
  • Talk time on 3G*
  • 6.4 hours*
  • 5 hours*

* As claimed by manufacturer

CORRECTION: The Droid does work with POP3 and IMAP email accounts, so a Gmail, Facebook or Microsoft Exchange account is not required as we stated in an earlier version.

The edge of the Droid features a headphone jack.

The edge of the Droid features a headphone jack.

 

5 megapixels! Take that, Cupertino!

5 megapixels! Take that, Cupertino!

 

It's black. It's rectangular. It's the bad-ass-looking Droid.

It's black. It's rectangular. It's the bad-ass–looking Droid.

 

Choose your weapon: use the touchscreen, or use the keyboard and D-pad.

Choose your weapon: Use the touchscreen, or use the keyboard and D-pad.

Photos: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com


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Oct 28

Motorola Droid First Hands On: It’s a Terminator

Posted in: Android, droid, Google, motorola, Smartphones, Today's Chili, top, verizon

The Motorola Droid. Not to mix droid metaphors here, but I feel like it’s the phone Darth Vader would use. And after a couple of minutes using it, I’m still excited about it. Updated with fresh impressions, photos and video.

The Droid

It’s heavy. And the construction makes it feel like one of the substantial phones I’ve used in a while. It’s not like anything you’ve got in your pocket. The way the screen—the best one on an Android phone yet—ponderously slides up, using only the manual power of your thumb, without the spring assistance our weak fingers are used to, adds to that feeling of weight. At the same time, it doesn’t feel like a fatass. While it has a thickness inherent to all sliders, it’s not unpleasantly plump. It works with the rest of the phone.

There’s also something weirdly refreshing about such a straightforwardly utilitarian design. There’s nothing here that’s trying to be sexy. Or particularly clean. There’s all kinds of lines and marks and bumps and details. It’s a strange kind of retro, with the black and the gold accent. It’s, well, Imperial.

The 3.7-inch display, packed with pixels, looks simply amazing. Text is ridiculously crisp, thanks to a 854×480 resolution that makes for 267ppi. Seriously, looking at my inbox is kinda making me drool. (The iPhone is 163ppi.) Besides clarity, touch response seems dead on. The keyboard works way better than it looks. It appears flat, but there’s a slight bump to every key that, combined with the soft rubber texture, just works. It’s way better than the Palm Pre keyboard. The d-pad, I don’t think anybody would miss it if it was gone. The touch sensitive keys on the front, I sorta wish were real buttons. (Seriously, what’s the point, except to save space?)

I think it’s my favorite piece of Android hardware yet, at least until I see the battery life.

Android Two Dot Oh Yeah


The Droid’s running a basically stock build of Android 2.0. You’ll be able to download Verizon apps later from a special channel in the Android Market, but you get a totally unpolluted phone out of the box.

It’s faster, in almost every way possible. (This in part, is thanks to the Droid’s ARM Cortex A8 processor, the same kind in the iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre.) Apps open quicker, transitions are instant and smooth, scrolling rarely drags in the browser or maps.

Android’s grown up. The icons have been redesigned—they’re cleaner, more serious, less cartoony. Contacts, as you’ve seen, improved, with Facebook integration and a new feature called Quick Contact, that lets you ping somebody however you want to. Facebook contact stuff works better than the Pre (which gives you all or nothing options) or the Hero (where you have to manually link each contact), with the option to bring in all of your Facebook contacts, just the people that are also in your Google contacts, or manual linkage.

The cool bedside interface, that turns the Droid into an alarm clock with weather and stuff when you plug into the dock, is apparently something that’s just between Motorola and Google, so we might not see it on other Android 2.0 phones. The dashboard interface, that comes up automatically when it’s plugged into the car dock, can also be accessed via the Car Home app, and it gives you quick access to contacts, navigation, voice search, search and maps.

Voice is a much bigger part of Android 2.0—holding down the search button for a second engages voice commands for search, navigation (just say “navigate”) and other features. Speaking of navigation, Brian has a lot more here on Google’s new turn-by-turn service with data layers. It might be the single most significant upgrade in Android 2.0, actually. One thing that’s not upgraded? The onscreen keyboard. It’s still sorta crummy.

Universal search—thank god. It’s amazing to me that the phone OS from the search company fell behind Palm and Apple on this. It’s here now, and it can search your contacts, browser history and bookmarks, contacts, apps, your music and YouTube. (Why you have to separately search SMS and email, I don’t know.)

The browser, besides being simply faster and working better, has a slightly refreshed UI—multiple windows are managed via a simple text list, for instance. Some of the other benefits, like HTML5 support, are obviously a little hard to easily quantify.

We’ll have more for you over the next few days, but for now, just know that yes, it’s okay to be excited about this. It may very well be the Droid we were looking for.

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Oct 28

Motorola Droid Hits Verizon on November 6th for $200

Posted in: Android, cellphones, motorola, Phones, Smartphones, Today's Chili, top

It’d have been difficult to leak Motorola’s new Android piece any harder—we’ve already seen the hardware, the software, and even a review—but now we know for sure sure: It’s coming to Verizon on the 6th, for $200.

First off, Verizon’s just confirmed that Droid is a family of phones, and that while this phone is the cornerstone, we should expect more. (AHEM). This is the only one they’re announcing now, so anyway: $200 is iPhone 3GS money, so it’s good to hear that the specs are top-notch. It’s got a 3.7inch screen at 480×854 pixels, a Cortex A8 processor, a 16GB SD card included, Bluetooth, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera and of course, the slide-out keyboard with d-pad. Right, we mostly knew this, so what’s new? Well, there’s a dock! Ok!

But the software’s the real story here, and it’s even better than we expected. With a new contacts app, multi-resolution support, a better camera app, and SMS searching , Android 2.0 is front and center, and the Droid will wear it proudly; this is a “Google Experience” device, so don’t expect Motoblur here—which given the social networking integration in 2.0, and the refreshed interface, is probably for the best. Verizon wouldn’t say whether or not the Android 2.0 would be a Droid exclusive, refusing to confirm that it is, but also refusing to confirm that it isn’t. Given that the marketing push for this phone is apparently the biggest in Verizon history, and how weirdly opaque Google’s 2.0 release has been so far, I wouldn’t doubt that former, at least for a few months.

And remember that Google turn-by-turn nav app rumor? It’s totally true. The voice-activated navigation feature will be free, which means if its any good at all, it could conceivably vaporize the entire nav app industry in a matter of months. Google Maps will also have a few new layers on Droid, with Wikipedia, transit and traffic overlays. Google Maps With Navigation will replace the trenchant VZ Navigation, which won’t get an Android port. Verizon Visual Voicemail and MyVerizon services will hit Android eventually, but they’re gonna take a little time.

Preorders are open now at Verizon’s website, but just so you know—Verizon’s $200 price is after a mail-in rebate, and a particularly weird one:

Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

Seriously, guys, stop.

Verizon Wireless DROID By Motorola: World’s First Smartphone with Android™ 2.0

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – High-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets and the best 3G mobile network in the country: DROID by Motorola arrives on Nov. 6.

Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest wireless 3G broadband network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID by Motorola, the first smartphone powered by Android™ 2.0. DROID by Motorola features the brainpower and breakneck speed of a modern smartphone, designed to outperform where other smartphones fall short.

“We’re proud to work with Verizon Wireless and Google™ on the first smartphone to feature Android 2.0,” said Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices. “DROID by Motorola delivers a rich consumer experience with warp-speed Web browsing, a mammoth screen, and Motorola’s expertise in design and voice quality. Combined with Android’s open, flexible graphical user interface and the power of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, DROID is a smartphone that simply doesn’t compromise.”

“This is an exciting announcement for Verizon Wireless, as the DROID by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our ground-breaking strategic partnership with Google,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “DROID by Motorola gives customers a lifestyle device with access to more than 12,000 applications that will help them stay in touch, up to date and entertained, using the best 3G network in the country.”

DROID by Motorola has a solid exterior, intelligent interior and is one of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available. It is a no-fuss, high-tech, location-aware, voice-recognizing, over-the-air updating, multi-tasking machine – and it is available just in time for holiday wish lists.

With DROID by Motorola, you can:

· Zip through the Web: Access the Internet at 3G speeds via the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network or from any Wi-Fi hotspot. The multi-window HTML browser with a massive processor delivers the Web the way you expect.

· See it all in cinema-style: View the Web, e-mail, Google Maps™, videos and more in widescreen on a brilliant 3.7″ high-resolution screen. Boasting a width of 854 pixels to reduce the need for side-to-side panning and more than 400,000 pixels total, DROID has more than twice that of the leading competitor.

· Run multiple applications at once: Customize your DROID with thousands of applications and hundreds of widgets available on Android Market™. Toggle back and forth between up to six applications at a time to juggle the universe and your apps.

· Perform Google Search™ at the speed of sound: Simply tell DROID what you’re looking for using voice-activated search, and it will serve up Google search results based on your location. If you want more, simply type what you’re looking for into the search bar on the home screen and DROID will also search content on your phone, such as apps and contacts, and the Web.

· Capture moments: Snap digital camera-quality photos with a 5 megapixel camera loaded with the works, such as a dual-LED flash, AutoFocus and image stabilization, or capture your friend’s antics in 16 million colors with DVD-quality video capture and playback. Store it all on the included 16 GB memory card, so you always have it on hand.

· Multi-task like a master: Keep tabs on all your messages with integrated Gmail™ and Exchange e-mail pushed directly to you, but don’t let them get in your way. With the handy Android notification panel, go straight to the message or simply ignore it, and get back to the task at hand. And, a smart dictionary learns as you type and automatically includes your contacts.

· Get where you need to go with Google Maps Navigation (Beta): DROID is the first device with Google Maps Navigation, providing turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps. It’s powered by Google and connected to the Internet. Use voice shortcuts and simply say “Navigate to [your destination],” and you’ll be on your way. See live traffic, use Street View or satellite imagery to view your route, and get access to the most recent maps and business information from Google Maps without ever needing to update your device.

Pre-loaded Applications and Enhancements to Google Mobile Services:

· Google Maps: With layers in Google Maps, view geographic information, such as My Maps, Wikipedia, and transit lines, right on the map.

· Gmail: Multiple accounts support and undo for common operations.

· YouTube™: One-touch recording and playback from homescreen widget or app, one-touch sharing with friends, and the ability to view your own uploaded videos and high-resolution videos.

· Google Talk™: Easily switch between chats, search your chat history, and preview pictures and videos sent by links.

· Android Market: Browse and download applications created by third-party developers.

· Calendar: Ability to see who has R.S.V.P.’d to your meeting invitations.

· Amazon MP3 Store: Download the latest tracks over the air.

· Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail: Delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.

Pricing and Availability:

· DROID by Motorola will be available in the United States exclusively at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online on Friday, Nov. 6, for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

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Oct 27

Android 2.0 Official: It’s the Android We’ve Been Waiting For

Posted in: Android, droid, Google, Smartphones, Today's Chili, top, verizon



This is it: The official video laying out Android 2.0‘s new features, to go along with 2.0 support hitting the SDK today. Man, Android 2.0 is nice.

Highlights of Android 2.0 revealed in the video are a new contacts setup that’s reminiscent of the Hero’s integrated contacts—it pulls them in from multiple sources, supports two-way syncing to any backend and has an awesome new feature called Quick Contact that pulls up every possible way to ping somebody when you touch their icon. Quick Contact can be built into any app too.

Seriously, there’s all kinds of improvements: Searchable SMS, Exchange support, more in-depth camera controls, a better keyboard with full multitouch, a revamped browser with a better UI and HTML5 support, and it goes on.

On the hard spec side, there’s more capable Bluetooth with full 2.1 and new profiles and better support for multiple screen sizes, like WVGA (800×480) & FWVGA (854×480). Oh yeah, and interestingly, it’s Verizon Wireless that shows up in the video adding mild credence to some rumors that they might have a temporary window of exclusivity with the new OS. We’ll see, but it’s seems clear now they’re getting it first, at least. Either way, it’s hard not to be excited about it Android 2.0. [Android Developers, Thanks everybody!]

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Oct 27

Samsung Moment Review: The ED-209 of Android Phones

Posted in: Android, review, samsung, Smartphones, Sprint, Today's Chili, top

The Samsung Moment is the first Android phone trying to be special purely through hardware: It’s got a really rich AMOLED display, a gigantic keyboard, an 800MHz processor (the fastest yet for Android) and it’s on Sprint’s sturdy 3G network.

While the specs might make you dizzy, there’s absolutely nothing unique about the software. It’s running a totally stock build of Android 1.5 (Cupcake) with some standard Sprint software tossed in, like Sprint TV, Navigator, apps for Nascar and football, and Exchange support through Moxier Mail. So, we’re mostly gonna talk about the hardware here, since otherwise it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.

800 Whole Megahertz

The single biggest expectation for the Moment, and its rip-roaring 800MHz processor, is some zoomzoomzip speed in Android, which ain’t known for being the fastest smartphone OS around—largely, you would think, because every Android phone currently on the market is strapped with basically the same 528MHz ARM11 processor (the Moment’s also using an ARM11 processor, though one built by Samsung, not Qualcomm).

Despite the extra clock speed, a turbocharged Android this is not. Some parts of the experience are smoother—transitions between apps stutter less, and less often, for instance—and it boots faster than any other Android phone I’ve used, but there’s no serious extra pep in the OS. In fact, a lot of the same slowdowns that’ve become a hallmark of Android are present: The app menu often (but not always) lags as pull you it up, and those random moments where the phone just won’t respond to keys your tapping or your finger madly pounding on the screen still happen, just like on other Android phones. I was hoping it would be more than a little better (seriously, hanging while I’m just typing in Google Talk?), especially since it’s running a vanilla build of Android without any fancy overlays on top of it, like the Hero or Cliq.

I suspect it would run faster and better on Android 1.6, which might take greater advantage of the bonus horsepower, but it’s not shipping from Samsung until sometime in 2010.

AMOLED Makes Me Blue

The AMOLED display is stunning in some respects—it’s incredibly saturated, blacks are gorgeous and it makes other Android displays look pale and washed out. There are two problems: It’s not very readable in the sunlight (just like the Zune HD, which used an OLED display), and it’s very blue. At first, I thought it was just a tendency of OLED displays to be this cool, but this is what it looks like compared to the Zune HD: Not a dealbreaker for the screen out of context, but I really wish I could adjust the color temp, since now that I’ve noticed it, it bugs me every time I look at it. I probably just ruined it for you too.

Hello, Giant Keyboard, Goodbye Trackball

The Moment is a gigantic phone. That’s because it has a big fucking keyboard. Tiny people with tiny hands might think it’s too big. The keys are sorta rubbery, and flat, separated in a kind of honeycomb design, but they’re big enough to easily tell them apart, and they make surprisingly deep satisfying clicks when you press them. Overall, despite the mediocre size and placement of the space button, it’s probably the best typing experience on Android.

Samsung ditches the classic trackball for a trackpad. It sucks. I tried to use it like 4 times, and then I just didn’t. The touch-sensitive buttons on the face of the phone are a mistake too—during a call, my face apparently rolled over the menu button and I muted myself, leaving Wilson to yell, “Hello? HELLO!? HELLOOOOOO!” for like 30 seconds while I tried to figure out what the hell just happened.

Why It’s the ED-209 of Android Phones

It’s massive, has theoretically superior firepower, and runs marginally faster than the Android competition. But in the end, it’s clearly stuck in the past, and Robocop blows it up by being smarter. In this case, that’s the Hero. Or Cliq.

The Moment’s disappointing not just because the Hero and Cliq actually do interesting things that make Android better, but because it’s running an older version of Android that’s likely limiting its potential, and it won’t get the chance to be better until everybody stops caring about it.

If you absolutely need an Android phone with keyboard, get a Cliq or wait for the Droid. If you want an Android phone on Sprint and were torn, just get the Hero.

AMOLED screen is pretty

Big ol’ keyboard

Big ol’ phone

Faster processor doesn’t mean faster Android

AMOLED screen is a little too blue

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Oct 22

Ballmer on the Smartphone Race: “It Doesn’t Matter What the Critics Say”

Posted in: BlackBerry, exclusive, iPhone, nokia, Smartphones, steve ballmer, Today's Chili, top, video, Windows Mobile, windows mobile 6.5, winmo

In this segment of my exclusive interview series with Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer, I brought up the sore subject of Windows Mobile 6.5. After defending it, he cited another product that did well but suffers mounting criticism: Nokia smartphones.

As you can see in the video, Ballmer acknowledges that Windows Mobile 6.5 is receiving negative reviews, but I never get him to actually admit that the platform still needs work. He says, “reviews aside,” he’s happy with what Windows Phones (running 6.5) can do now.

And faced with competition of iPhone, BlackBerry and others, he contends it’s currently “kind of a horse race.” The only clear leader, market-share wise, is Nokia, and they’re losing ground. When I said that Nokia was another developer currently lambasted by reviewers, Ballmer replied:

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what the critics say, it matters what the customers say.

Perhaps given the power of advertising (still mighty, even if it’s on the decline), there may still be a way for a product to get positive sales despite negative reviews. But the internet has changed that landscape, and the lines between critic and customer blur more every day. We all share knowledge in order to make better choices. So who, in the end, is this customer, who is so different from the critic? Not anyone who reads Gizmodo, that’s for sure.

Stay tuned for more exciting Ballmer moments (and facial expressions) over the next day, and then the full uncut interview video on Friday. Video by Mike Short

Steve Ballmer Exclusive Interview Series:
Part 1: Ballmer Talks Natal, Says Blu-ray Add-On for Xbox Coming
Part 2: Ballmer on the Smartphone Race: “It Doesn’t Matter What the Critics Say”
Part 3: Ballmer on Zune: Sometimes You Get It Right The Third Time?

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Oct 16

12 Phones Strong, Android Army Mobilizes for Explosive Growth

Posted in: Android, Google, Phones, Smartphones, Today's Chili

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If you’ve thought about picking up an Android-powered phone but found yourself turned off by the hardware choices (ahem, G1), you may soon wish to reconsider.

“Android adoption is about to explode,” said Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO, in an earnings conference call Thursday. “You have all the necessary conditions.”

Schmidt’s forecast may prove accurate with 12 Android-powered devices available in 26 countries on 32 carriers. Recent Android rumors, announcements and releases further fuel the rumble in the mobile community.

By handing out Android as an open source platform, Google aims to help manufacturers focus more time, money and energy on their hardware and specific usability for each device. Using the Android OS, there is no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to the mobile software. Developmental resources can instead be allocated to innovation and quicker adaptation of emerging technology. This direction in mobile development does seem to create the “necessary conditions” for Android to appeal to an extremely broad range of users.

When the first Android phone, the HTC G1, was released in September 2008, some developers questioned how Google would address making the Android OS and third-party apps work smoothly with various types of hardware. Screen resolution was a primary concern among developers polled by Wired.com: How could an app designed to work with the G1’s resolution, for example, work with another Android phone sporting a different resolution?

Fortunately, the Android team at Google is working to ensure their platform is compatible with every mobile phone, specifically when it comes to screen resolution. The Android 1.6 SDK, the developer’s kit, allows a manufacturer or developer to add code in their application to conform to different handset’s resolutions. (For example, “Do this when the phone has a resolution of 320×480; do that when the resolution is larger.”) They have created three categories of resolution sizes that any given device will fall into, ensuring a single third-party app will work across all phones. There is also a “compatibility mode” developers can incorporate into their applications built prior to 1.6, aka Donut.

Excited by the Android mobile-nova? We’ve created a list of the 12 Android-powered smartphones so you can begin researching and deciding which one is best for you:

See Also:

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


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Oct 16

Android 2.0 First Look: Fresh Face, Sick Speed

Posted in: Android, Google, Phones, Smartphones, Software, Today's Chili, top

While Android 1.6 is still writhing around in amniotic fluid, BGR had the nerve to publish shots of version 2.0 “Eclair,” which doesn’t even have a formal due date yet. They look great. Sorry, 1.6: I’m already over you.

You’re best off trudging through the entire gallery here, since BGR has annotated every little shot with accompanying (and sometimes subtle) changes. That said, here are some of the highlights (keep in mind that some of these could be subtle features of Donut, or handset manufacturer add-ons—for all we know, this is Motodroid):

• The whole system feels much faster, especially the browser. Apparently it renders about as fast as the 3GS’s, though part of that could be down to the hardware (What is it, BG?)

• The browser also gets double-tap-to-zoom (some current ROMs already come with this)

• Facebook friends are integrated right into the contacts system

• Voice control has been scattered through the whole system, and even gets its own dedicated dashboard

• There’s an upgraded version of Google Maps, with layer support

• Native MS Exchange support

• A unified email inbox, for joining multiple accounts

• A YouTube homescreen widget, which enables two-click uploads

• A “Car Home” app offers larger shortcuts for functions you might need while driving, as well as easy access to voice control

There are plenty more little here-and-there adjustments, lots of which seem like they’re not quite finished. In any case, the earliest we can expect to see this on a phone is when Motorola’s barely-not-mythical Sholes decides to materialize in store, which could be as soon as Christmas. More shots at [BGR]

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Oct 16

BlackBerrys for coppers: UK law enforcement to smarten up in 2010

Posted in: BlackBerry, Law, RIM, smartphone, Smartphones, Today's Chili, uk, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom

Police men and women of Blighty are about to step into the 21st century, albeit a decade late, with a new weapon in the fight against boredom on the beat. The BBC reports that smartphones will become standard issue throughout the Queen’s realm by March 2010, as a result of successful trials carried out in 30 constabularies through this year. Improved “operational efficiency” and reduced bureaucracy are argued as the key benefits, with a solid 30 minutes less time being spent in police stations each day. And we’re absolutely positive that extra half hour will go toward increased “visibility in the community” and not checking out friends’ Facebook status updates. No, really!

Read — BBC report
Read — Bedfordshire case study

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BlackBerrys for coppers: UK law enforcement to smarten up in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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