Posts Tagged ‘Apple’
The best and worst in mobile 2010: It’s all about Apple and Android
It’s been a big year for mobile news. Android continued its strong growth in the smartphone market, Apple shook things up with the iPhone 4 and completely rejuvenated the tablet market with the iPad, and former mobile titans like RIM, Palm and Nokia struggled to maintain their relevancy.
I may be a little biased as VentureBeat’s lead mobile writer, but this year made it clear to me why mobile is one of the most exciting and vibrant areas in technology right now. The research firm IDC predicted in September that this year over last, and it doesn’t look like that will slow down anytime soon. Come next year, we can expect cheaper and more capable smartphones, and tablets that can finally stand up to the iPad.
But before we enter 2011, let’s take a look back at some of the best and worst stories in mobile news this year.
The Best
The iPad finally gets the tablet right, others follow suit
Apple’s wildly successful tablet was one of the worst kept secrets in the technology industry by the end of 2009, when multiple reports pointed to the fact that Apple was gearing up to introduce a tablet device. But not everybody was excited for yet another computing platform (). But, Apple being Apple, it managed to defy expectations , and it continued to do so as the tablet sold like crazy, .
Mere speculation of the iPad sparked an entirely new wave of tablets earlier this year, but most of those early entries failed, like the HP Slate and (more on the latter below). As it was becoming clearer that the iPad was a success, pretty much every major technology company threw their hats into the tablet arena, with the majority adopting Android as their tablet platform of choice. While is the only legitimate Android iPad competitor right now, we can expect even stronger competition next year. RIM also , which looks cool, but didn’t do much to negate the company’s failure to innovate this year (see below).
Android adoption grows like wildfire thanks to killer devices
Google’s Android platform wasn’t truly successful until the release of the Motorola Droid in November 2009, which was buoyed by a strong anti-Apple marketing campaign. Verizon apparently spent $100 million advertising the Droid, an investment which went on to help the entire Android platform in 2011. Earlier this month, Google’s every day (nearly 10 million a month), up from around 50,000 activations at the beginning of the year. In comparison, in its last quarter.
We can also point to the slew of great Android devices this year as a driving force behind the platform’s success. The year started off with the first true “Google phone”, the Nexus One, which Google attempted to sell on its own through an online store. That plan , but the Nexus One heralded other superpowered Android phones like the Evo 4G and Droid X. In the second half of the year, Samsung unveiled its ambitious Galaxy S line of phones across all major US carriers, which we’ll discuss further below.
Basically, if you were on the lookout for an Android phone this year, it was tough to be disappointed.
Apple’s iPhone 4: Its most polished entry yet
Despite the many great Android phones that hit the market this year — which brought a sexy new design, high-definition video recording, front facing camera and FaceTime for video conferencing, and a high-resolution “Retina Display.” Apple didn’t increase the iPhone’s screen size to compete with larger Android phones, but the iPhone 4’s display looks so good it didn’t seem to matter that it was still 3.5-inches.
But while the iPhone 4 is definitely one of the best phones to come out this year, it isn’t without it’s problems, as we’ll discuss below.
Samsung comes out of nowhere to become a major Android manufacturer
Samsung has been building mobile phones for years now, and it’s also released a couple of low-end Android phones. So you can imagine the surprise when, seemingly out of nowhere, featuring its droolworthy 4-inch Super AMOLED screens and its powerful 1-gigahertz Hummingbird processor. And the company didn’t just focus on hardware — Samsung also managed to bring its Galaxy S phones across all major U.S carriers.
The company’s ambition has seemed to pay off. Samsung announced in November that it , and earlier this month we reported that . Much of the hardware in the Galaxy S phones went into Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet, which has sold 1 million units two months after it launched. And of course, Samsung’s Galaxy S experience , the second Google phone and Nexus One successor.
Front-facing cameras for mobile video chat
Before we knew the official specifications of the iPhone 4, it was widely known that it would pack a front-facing camera for mobile video conferencing. At the time, I argued that , something I believed would be the next killer feature in smartphones. When Apple finally unveiled the iPhone 4, its was one of the biggest announcements. Finally, we had a simple way to initiate mobile video chats from our phones as easily as making a standard phone call.
While FaceTime is certainly restricted by only working on WiFi networks, Apple made the technology even more useful and the most recent iPod Touch version (which also sports cameras).
Android phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch 4G and Nexus S also feature front-facing cameras, and I suspect the feature will become even more common next year. The new wave of front cameras also opened the doors for , which has created mobile video chat apps that will work across the iPhone and Android.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 is surprisingly cool
Perhaps it was the low expectations going in, but count me as shocked that Microsoft was actually able to make a desirable smartphone platform in Windows Phone 7 — one that offered some key difference from its competitors, as well as an attractive and refreshing user interface.
Microsoft , but didn’t until October. And by that point, it was obvious that to regain its relevancy in mobile devices. The company , and a few weeks after the phones hit shelves. Microsoft announced yesterday that , which doesn’t tell us much about actual users, but it’s a sign that consumers definitely want the phones.
Microsoft knew what it needed to succeed: Attractive high-end smartphones, a strong app community and a modern OS. With Windows Phone 7, it managed to put together all of the right pieces to deliver a platform , even if it is several years too late.
Worst
Microsoft’s Kin: The phones nobody wanted
Kin. Need I say anything else? From the moment , its misguided attempt at capturing the youth market, it was clear that Kin was an idea several years too late. They were severely restricted phones that had subscription plans just as expensive as real smartphones. So it was no surprise when Microsoft, surely with plenty of egg on its face, several weeks after the phones hit stores.
At the time of the Kin’s death, I wrote:
What started as an ambitious attempt to justify Microsoft’s purchase of Danger, the company behind the popular Sidekick messaging phones, turned into a misguided attempt at trying to figure out what young people find cool. Never mind that many teenagers and twenty-somethings had already moved on to legitimate smartphone platforms.
The Kin phones lacked an application store and seemingly basic functionality like a calendar and instant messaging software — a glaring omission for something aimed at “connected” youth. Ultimately, the Kin’s failure is one Microsoft needs to remember: Instead of trying to force-feed a lackluster product to consumers, perhaps it should devote more time on creating something people actually want — like it did with the Xbox 360.
Microsoft kills the Courier dual-screen “digital journal”
At a time when every company seemed hell-bent on taking on the iPad with tablets of their own, was a breath of fresh air. Courier was a dual-screened “digital journal” that was touch-screen capable, but also featured a stylus pen for hand written text, diagrams and more. Video demonstrations of the product made it seem like the evolution of the digital planner, combined with a personal journal and web-enabled tablet.
It was an ambitious move for Microsoft — so before the project even got off the ground.
iPhone 4 design issues: Antennagate, glassgate and the elusive white iPhone 4
As beautiful as Apple’s iPhone 4 may be, it became clear over the course of the year that Apple may have actually over-designed the phone to the point where its looks was interfering with its functionality.
The first big issue was antennagate: As soon as the iPhone 4 started getting into consumers’ hands, many began to notice that they could repeatedly kill their iPhone’s reception by holding the lower-left corner of the device. This time around, Apple made the device’s antenna an integral part of its design, and it appeared as if that allowed users to easily block reception. The issue became so widely known that to address the issue, where he mentioned that in a similar manner. Jobs , and instituted a program to offer free cases to every iPhone 4 owner.
But the iPhone 4’s troubles didn’t stop there. Several gadget sites eventually reported on another phenomenon, , where certain cases that slid onto the back of the iPhone could trap dirt and debris, eventually leading to scratches and cracks on its rear glass panel. Apple never admitted to the issue, but ended up removing sliding cases from its online stores and retail locations. The company is reportedly investigating just how widespread the issue is. It doesn’t appear to be affecting as many users as antennagate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple is keen on avoiding any further controversy with the iPhone 4.
The iPhone 4’s design was . Apple showed off white iPhone 4s when it was first announced, but that version never found its way to stores. Apparently, the white iPhone 4’s glass back was leaking in light — to the point where it was washing out pictures taken by the device’s camera. The issue was apparently discovered at the last-minute by Apple. The company ended up delaying the release of the white iPhone 4 three times without explanation– now .
HP buys Palm … and does nothing with it
Following lackluster sales of the Palm Pre and Pixi, former mobile leader Palm was in a tough spot at the beginning of the year, and it quickly became obvious that the company was looking to sell. after from four other major companies. The acquisition showed that HP was serious about becoming a player in the smartphone business, and we argued .
That may still happen eventually, but for now it doesn’t look like HP has done much with Palm. In October, of Palm’s innovative webOS operating system, but at the same time it revealed the Palm Pre 2, which was nothing more than a speed upgrade to the original Pre. At a time when killer Android phones were coming left and right, it seemed downright crazy that Palm still didn’t have a major new handset. At least early next year with the “PalmPad.”
RIM and Nokia continue their downward spiral into irrelevancy
I suppose it was too much to ask to see some spark of innovation from either Research in Motion or Nokia this year. Both companies managed to release new flagship devices that somehow feel several years too late.
, it’s first attempt at combining a multitouch screen with its beloved BlackBerry hardware keyboard, which ran its new BlackBerry 6 operating system. Unfortunately, the new OS wasn’t the major upgrade that RIM needed to compete with more modern competitors, and the Torch was hampered by a slow processor and low display resolution. In the end, it was a minor release when RIM needed something major. Next year RIM may release a phone featuring the next-generation OS on its PlayBook tablet, but who knows when that will actually happen.
Nokia faced similar software problems with its N8 smartphone. In my review, . Nokia too is gearing up to release a next-generation OS next year, dubbed Meego, together with Intel. But Meego has seen some serious delays, and unless it comes out early next year, it risks being too little, too late, for Nokia.
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Apple removes WikiLeaks app after just three days in App Store
Apple said Tuesday that it has removed a WikiLeaks app from its App Store because it violated the company’s developer guidelines.
Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple, said to the that apps “must comply with all local laws and may not put an individual or group in harm’s way.” The latter is a reference to complaints that WikiLeaks’ publication of secret diplomatic cables has put the lives to diplomats and their acquaintances in danger.
The decision is another setback for WikiLeaks. with it to stop doing so. Companies such as Amazon, Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal have dropped WikiLeaks for claims similar to Apple’s.
The $1.99 WikiLeaks app was only up on the App Store, which supplies apps for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, for three days. The developer promised to donate $1 for every download to groups that promote the future of online democracy.
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lashed out at criticswith the Times of London. He dismissed rape charges against him in Sweden as part of a “smear campaign.” The Guardian newspaper printed a portion of the police report related to the incident, where Assange is accused of forcing a woman to have sex with him without a condom.
Assange said he has enough information to force an executive at a major American bank to resign.
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Our favorite stocking stuffers for phones and tablets
So you’re still looking for gifts. Well fret not — thanks to our increasingly close relationships with our mobile devices, accessories for phones and tablets also make great gifts. Here are a few cool stocking stuffer ideas that will appeal to anyone.
Phone and tablet cases
Our mobile devices these days often feature large slabs of glass. And while that’s great for enabling the proliferation of touchscreen technology, it also makes our phones and tablets ticking time bombs for scratches, cracks and shattering unless they’re protected somehow. So consider a case for the clumsier members of your friends and family. They’re available in most retail stores these days, and you can also find a wide selection in Apple stores and cellular carrier retail locations.
For the iPhone and iPad, I recommend cases from , a company that offers a wide variety of attractive designs that are strong enough to let your device survive a tumble. Your choices are more limited where it comes to Android phones, but generally you can find cases at the phone’s respective carrier retail spots. has a wide selection of Android cases and accessories, but it may be too late to order in time for Christmas.
GelaSkins: An easy way to customize mobile devices
Instead of a case, you can opt for a – an adhesive print that can spice up the design of phones, tablets, ereaders and more. The skins are designed specifically for individual devices, so they generally fit without issue. They’re also easily removable and don’t leave any residue on your device. The company has artwork available from over 100 artists, and each design looks completely original.
I’ve tested a couple of GelaSkins over the past few months, and I’ve found that they get more attention than just a plain iPhone case. While they won’t offer much protection for your devices, they sure do look cool.
Agloves: Touchscreen capable gloves for the cold
Winter and touchscreen devices just don’t mix. Normal winter gloves have a layer of insulation that prevent capacitive touchscreens from recognizing your inputs. Enter , a company that has developed winter gloves knitted with conductive material. They’re affordable at around $17.99, and while thin, I’ve found that they stand up to below-freezing temperatures fairly well.
Headphones: Because stock headphones usually stink
Modern smartphones do more than just phone calls, email and texts — they also serve as portable music players. It’s criminal that Apple still includes terrible earbuds with iPhones, and most other phone manufacturers are guilty of the same thing. So do your friends a favor, and get them a pair of headphones that don’t stink.
You don’t have to pay much for good sound — you can snag for a mere $13.89 on Amazon. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, are a tremendous value for around $40. You can find a wide variety of headphones in retail stores, but beware of brands that you’ve never heard of. Noise-cancellation headphones sound great, but are usually expensive, so seek out “noise isolating” sets instead.
Go digital: Gift apps, music, games and more
One of the great things about digital marketplaces is that it’s incredibly easy to gift things without ever having to worry about shipping or delivery charges. On iTunes, you can gift apps, games, music, TV episodes (but not whole seasons, sadly) and movies to people instantly. Android’s Market isn’t robust enough yet for that, unfortunately, but you can always gift music, TV, and movies via Amazon.
My recommendations for digital gifts: The ; , yet another great TV show canceled before its time; and (which is technically not giftable because it relies on in-app purchase, so you’ll have to gift $50 of iTunes credit so your friends can buy the issues on their own).
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News360 delivers smarter news to your iPhone
It seems like a good time for news on mobile devices, with , and .
But where most apps either represent a single publication (like CNN or The New York Times) or are built around social aggregation (like Flipboard), a Moscow, Russia-based startup called says that the key to nailing the news experience on the phone is using artificial intelligence and semantic analysis to deliver a smarter, better-organized experience.
News360 just launched an upgraded version of its iPhone app and also announced that it has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from the Russian firm Oradell Equities.
There are a few different components to News360’s technology. First, there’s the crawler, which currently collects news from more than 500 sources (that number is supposed to increase to 1,000). Then there’s the entity extractor, which identifies the companies, people, brands, and places in each story. An object dossier creates informational pages around those topics — for example, if I mention Apple on News360, you can click on the word “Apple” and the app will give you a short rundown of what Apple is. Articles from different sources that are about the same news get clustered together, and they’re also divided into different news categories.
So there’s supposedly a lot of complicated technical stuff on the back end, but on the front end users should see the most important stories of the day, organized into an easy-to-browse format. You can also search for news, focus on stories that are relevant to your current location, or browse categories like tech and business.
Now, none of that sounds like a huge leap forward from news search engines like Google News. Even if some of the backend technology is better than what already exists, I suspect the difference isn’t big enough to win people over. But that’s why the focus on mobile is smart. News search or RSS-reading can be a pain on the phone. News360 ties its technology to a simple swiping interface that makes it easy to scroll through a bunch of news at once. And the object dossier means that you can get quick answers a lot of the basic questions that can come up during newsreading (“Wait, who is that again?”) without having to perform a bunch of Web searches.
I played with the News360 app last night, and as implied above, I liked the interface. I thought the object dossier was super-useful, even though it wasn’t totally accurate — in an article about an America tourist murdered in Jerusalem, I clicked on the “Jerusalem” link and was told, “Jerusalem is a DOS file virus detected in Jerusalem, Israel.” The main downside was the fact that the app only includes the first couple paragraphs of each article, so you have to jump to the publisher’s website to read the whole thing. But hey, that’s good for publishers, it should help , and even on those websites you can still click on links to the News360 dossiers.
With Version 2.0, News360 now supports landscape mode, it integrates with Instapaper and Read It Later so you can read articles when you’re offline, and it includes stock price charts in company dossiers. An Android app is planned soon.
News360 hasn’t shared any numbers about total downloads, but it was included as one of the best news apps in .
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How mobile apps are spying on us
Your favorite mobile apps could be collecting and transmitting your personal information, including your name, contacts, location and even your phone’s unique ID number, to ad networks and other third parties. And worst of all, there’s little you can do about it.
This mobile privacy bombshell was revealed by an , which to determine what sort of data they were transmitting. The paper found that 56 apps transmitted the phone’s device ID without consent, 47 apps transmitted user location and five shared age, gender and other personal information to third-parties.
While online tracking is nothing new in the world of mobile and desktop web browsing, the WSJ’s investigation reveals an even scarier prospect in the world of apps — where user’s are completely unaware that information is being shared (there are often no privacy policies to read), and opting out from the data tracking isn’t an option.
The popular music app Pandora, for example, transmits age, gender, location and phone IDs to ad networks in both its iPhone and Android versions. TextPlus 4, a popular free texting app, sent out phone IDs to eight ad companies, and location and personal data to two.
The WSJ says that iPhone apps tended to transmit more data than Android apps, but it’s unsure if the pattern persists among the thousands of apps on each platform.
The most commonly shared piece of data was the unique ID assigned to every phone. According to Vishal Gurbaxani, co-founder of the mobile advertising exchange Mobclix, the ID is effectively a “supercookie” — or in other words, a super-powered version of the cookies used to track web browsing on computers.
Unlike normal cookies, you can’t clear or change your phone’s ID, which is a boon to ad companies. The ID allows advertising companies to see the types of apps users download, how often they run them and how deep into the app users go. The data is aggregated and not linked to an individual, according to Meghan O’Holleran of Traffic Marketplace.
The WSJ points out that both Apple and Google own the largest smartphone platforms, in addition to the largest mobile advertising services by revenue. , Apple , which also formed the basis for its iAds mobile ad platform. Despite how the apps may undermine the security of the iPhone and Android platforms, the data they send is also useful to their parent companies.
Apple says that iPhone apps can’t transmit user data without approval, but the WSJ’s findings reveal many apps that don’t follow that rule. Google leaves it up to app makers to make users aware of the data their apps reveal. Android also gives users specific notes about the phone resources (including hardware and data) apps will use before they’re downloaded.
Unfortunately, there’s little users can do to protect themselves from data-sharing apps, aside from avoiding many popular apps entirely. Many mobile ad companies let users opt-out of their website tracking, but those opt-out lists don’t apply to apps, . The ad company Jumptap says iPhone users can opt out of app data sharing by to them. Apple says its also applies to apps (but doesn’t prevent iTunes data from being collected).
While it’s no big surprise to find that apps are sharing some of our data, the extent to which it’s happening should be of concern to both users and regulatory agencies. I suspect we’ll see some response from the FTC on this report soon, and that apps will be forced to be more transparent about their data collection in the future.
The WSJ has released a short video explaining its investigation, which you can find below:
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Apple secures future iPhone displays, joins Sharp for $1.2B LCD expansion
Sharp is gearing up to spend around $1.2 billion on expanding its product lines for small and midsize LCD panels, most of which are meant for Apple’s iPhone, .
Apparently, Apple will cover a large portion of the $1.2 billion investment and is going to purchase much of Sharp’s LCD output for the iPhone. Apple is clearly securing more displays in anticipation of high demand of it’s next-generation iPhone. It’s also likely trying to avoid display supply issues and other display manufacturers faced this year.
On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei business newspaper reported that Toshiba was making a similarly large investment in LCD production and that Apple would also be benefiting from it. Toshiba that Apple would invest in the production of its new factory, but that still leaves the door open for Apple to be the primary buyer of its LCD panels from that plant.
Both Sharp and Toshiba’s plants will focus on midsize displays, in addition to smaller displays for the iPhone, meaning they could also be producing supply for Apple’s iPad. By diversifying its suppliers, Apple is ensuring that issues with one plant won’t kill its ability to make iPhones and iPads completely.
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HTML5 vs. Flash: How will the battle play out in 2011?
One of the biggest technology stories of 2010 has been the battle between Flash and HTML5 over who will reign supreme as the standard-bearer for video on the web and beyond.
It is hard to believe something as ‘techy’ as HTML5 would find itself as a headline in major consumer publications, but thanks to a little to world, HTML5 soon became a word everyone was talking about. In that letter, Jobs argued several key points on why his popular iPhone and iPad devices would not be supporting the de facto standard for video, Adobe Flash, going so far as to say “We don’t spend a lot of energy on old technology” and reportedly telling Wall Street Journal staff that Flash was a “CPU hog” and a source of “security holes.”
When Jobs speaks people listen, and as a result HTML5 saw a huge boost in adoption rates in 2010. Web cataloging service in October that 54% of online video is now available in HTML5 format. Are you thinking “that’s not that impressive, 54% is barely more than half”? Then let’s look at the most amazing part about this statistic. In January of 2010 the percentage of online video that was available in HTML5 was just 10%. That means the percentage of online video available in HTML5 format grew 5X in just 9 months. Can you think of another technology standard showing those kinds of rapid adoption rates? I can’t.
HTML5 and Flash: Choosing the best solution for your business
There is no doubt that HTML5 is demonstrating explosive growth as an adopted standard, but does that mean Flash is dying? Absolutely not. HTML5 should not be considered a replacement technology for Flash, just a competitive one. Although Jobs would like you to believe the Flash versus HTML5 battle is an either/or situation, it isn’t. Each standard offers unique features and functionality that make both of them appropriate depending on the technology goals your company wants to accomplish or the activities you, as a consumer, want to enjoy. For example, you should probably:
Choose HTML5
- If you are running your video on low-end systems
- If you are looking to save costs (and not have to purchase Flash licenses)
- If you want your video/application to be supported on the iPhone, iPad or other Apple platforms
- If it is important that you work with an open development environment
Choose Flash
- If your product needs to support a wide variety of browsers, including older models like IE6
- If you need powerful video streaming and video playback capabilities, like with live events
- If you are concerned about content protection and want to prevent people from reposting your content
- If you want to be able to splice in commercials dynamically throughout the video
- If you need integration with webcams and microphones to support new interactive features like two way video chat
Before you’re tempted to jump on the “Flash is dying” bandwagon, let’s look at the Flash facts as they stand today:
- 1.2 billion mobile phones are Flash capable
- 70% of online gaming sites run Flash
- 98% percent of Internet-enabled desktops use it
- 85% of top 100 websites use Flash
- Many major websites use Flash, including Hulu, Disney and YouTube
- 2-3 million people belong to the Flash developer community
- 90% of creative professionals have Adobe software on their desktops
A technology that has penetration rates like that clearly is offering value to a lot of people and will not disappear overnight. It is powerful and useful in a variety of different functions and in against HTML5 it has also managed to fight off some of the “CPU hog” categorizations.
2011: Who will win the video battle?
Despite Flash’s market leadership, HTML5 is clearly being rapidly adopted as a new standard of online video technology, and companies need to prepare their growth strategies to incorporate it. However, it is still early and HTML5 doesn’t give you all the same features and functionality that Flash does today, so you’ll want to consider your options wisely.
The bottom line is that there won’t be a single ‘winner’ when it comes to online video. Apple’s not going to knock out Adobe. Adobe’s not going to eradicate HTML5. All of these technologies and vendors will continue to evolve and, ultimately, consumers will reap the rewards from the innovative solutions that emerge from this competition.
Dominique Jodoin is president and chief executive officer of , maker of an integrated Flash and HTML5 platform for delivering rich media across a variety of devices. He has more than 23 years of experience in the mobile and wireless industry. Prior to joining Bluestreak, he was President Americas at mobile software management company Red Bend Software. He was previously vice president of business development within the Mobile Systems Division of Alcatel, executive vice president at WaterCove Networks, a venture-backed company that was acquired by Alcatel in 2004, and spent 17 years with Ericsson in a variety of executive positions in Canada and around the World.
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