Holo for all Android 4.x devices

In this post( http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2012/01/holo-everywhere.html?m=0 ) by Adam Powell, a Google engineer, it is explained that all Android 4.x devices will have to have the Holo UI and widget files on board to have access to the Android market.

Whoa! Now, everyone rein in a little, no where in the post did he say that they had to be used in the manufacturer's UI. That post can be whittled down to this.

The manufacturer can and will still be able to skin the crap out of the Android UI. However, the Holo widgets (buttons, color styles, and other UI elements) have to be available on the device for developers to use.

This means quite a lot in the long run, if your HTC or Samsung the developer now has direct and easy access to the stock Android UI styles thus encouraging said developer to use those styles,instead of the manufacturer's, so his/her app will be consistent across all devices.

Will this put an end to manufacturer skins? No. Is it a move by Google to start to unify the look of Android? Yes.

Kindle Fire (Random Thoughts)

I have put off giving any assessment of the Kindle Fire for some time now. Not because of laziness or thinking that all the tech sites had already nailed the reviews, but because I really wanted to see where the device fit into our lives. Would it be another piece of tech that's simply  forgotten in a few weeks or would it be an essential piece of gear?

The good news is that the Fire has become , maybe not essential, but a device that my wife and I  both make sure is charged and ready. For me it has become a great book reader, as anything with the Kindle name on it should, an almost too easy way to shop Amazon and EBay, and an occasional portal to Amazon VOD or Netflix. For my wife it is a game machine. She would probably use it for other things but, even though I intended the device to be for her use, it's generally in my bag. She hasn't complained too much.

The big question is, is it really worth $200. For me the answer is yes. For that amount I get a back lit e-reader, that last a long while on a charge. Along with that, the video and easy shopping is a bonus that's worth some extra scratch.

The added bonus is the games. Every long trip taken over the holidays means that cell phone batteries get drained and one car simply can't keep up with the charging requirements of four smart phones . Toss in a Kindle Fire or two and you might have enough juice left in one of those phones to call a tow truck if need be.

The one question that begs to be answered about the Fire is, will Amazon keep the underlying Android OS up to date? This poses no problem now, but as time moves on developers are not going to want to write their app for the current version and the have to rewrite to accommodate the Kindle Fire because its 2+ versions behind. Having purchased a Galaxy Nexus I already see this. Several apps that worked great on my android 2.3.4 device don't work worth a darn on 4.0.2.

As many have already pointed out, the lack of a hardware volume rocker is a flaw and Amazon should address this in the next version of the device. It's quite s pain to turn the volume down quickly when need be.  The past should have thrown up a warning sign to Amazon on this one. For those that remember, the first generation iPod touch was also without a volume rocker. Every model since has had one. Some hardware buttons are simply essential.

The last gripe is all about polish. Amazon should have the most polished reading app available bar none. Apple should be trying to emulate the Kindle. Unfortunately the Kindle app, while very functional and easy to use, is lacking in the simple features that turn heads and get nods of approval. Once you choose a book to read it opens to the first page, very nice, however if the book has chapters and you swipe back a screen or two, you are presented with a chapter and part list that looks like it belongs in a terminal window, unacceptable. Page swiping while very fluid is also alarming. I fully expected a nice page turning animation.  I know it's a little thing but with a device that works so well at its intended purposes it feels like a major flaw with each page I turn.

For now the Fire is a steal at $200 and if the past is an indicator, Amazon will keep the development and update steam roller moving forward and it will be for some time to come.

Grandma's Tech Christmas

For several years now my brother and I have been supplying our Mom and Grandma with their tech toys each Christmas. Mom has been through Windows and Mac PC's , several different types of phones and for the most part its been all for naught. Grandma has mostly been cool little things like LCD TVs and LED rechargeable flashlights.  Both of them are more technologically adept than they believe but, the PC's are really just glorified typewriters or DVD players, though they did pick up the idea of Netflix and online video quickly. A PC hooked to a huge LCD TV seems to do that to people.

This year we conferred about things and nervously went out on a shaky limb. Since they reside in the same house we got them a Keurig coffee maker, it was well received and put to use quickly, so that they would have the extra edge to play with their newest toys an iPad and a Kindle. We were both a little unsure of how it would go, with the devices, but as it ended up Grandma took the Kindle and after a quick intro to navigating the device she shooed us away and set to reading. While we were giving Grandma her Kindle overview Mom was already deep in her favorite iOS app, no intro to iPad needed. (She already owns an iPhone.)

To be transparent, we did take the liberty of setting up the devices loading them with the appropriate books and apps prior to Mom and Grandma receiving them. Still it's a testament to how easy these devices are to use. And for the first time a tech Christmas was had with no necessary tech support.

Oh, and a big thank you to my Awesome Wife who averted Christmas disaster by running quickly home and grabbing the gifts that her loving husband left in the bedroom floor.

Getting Set for the Kindle Fire.

Earlier today, like many, I received an email from Amazon informing me that my Kindle Fire had Shipped. In light of this I think it's time to set my expectations for this device. Considering the price tag they are not extremely high but here they are.

1. Quick, easy and well laid out connection to all of Amazon's services, Music, Books, video and Amazon's entire store.
2. At least a handfull of games, it doesn't have to be 3D titles, in fact, I'm hoping for more of the simple things Such as Words with friends and Spectrum puzzles.
3. Netflix that works well.
4. Decent web browsing.
5. Good, mostly smooth UI

If I get more I'm ecstatic, less, I know how Amazon's return system works.


I'll report back on my experience with the divice as soon as I feel Like I have put it though it's paces.

UltraBooks Lose, MacBook Air still selling like hotcakes.

This Article over at Boy Genius Report, really tells us nothing that we should not of foreseen. High end devices from the likes of Asus and Acer are not expected and therefore will not be bought in big numbers right away. The MacBook Air has sold well, because it comes from Apple, you know, those people over in Cupertino that we trust to give us a product that will last for years. We trust Apple, like we used to trust HP, Chevrolet and the IBM Selectric(Bonus points if you know what that is). As it stands in the consumer PC space HP Acer, Asus, Sony, Dell, Gateway, Samsung, Lenovo and all the rest of the PC makers have been feeding us crap that won't even live out the warranty period.

Now they want to throw around some $1000 thin laptops and expect us to buy them? Fat chance.

There is a market for the devices and there are people that will purchase them, I know a few myself that would fall all over a quality Windows based laptop with a thin and sexy MacBook Air like design. However, as stated above they are not going to spend  a grand on a device from one of the 'PC' makers, theses guys have burnt our butts a few too many times over the past few years with shoddy parts, crappy support and just a general lack of quality.

With that said, I do want to mention that most if not all the mass market PC makers do make some very nice machines.  The problem is, these machines rarely show up in your local retail outlet, so most people don't even know they exist. In contrast there are no "Budget" Macs. If you want a MacBook, you have to pony up the cash. In exchange for that  cash you get a machine that is capable of being with you for many years.

Something I like to Show my PC wielding friends, that think its fun to Joke around about the $2900 I gave for my Late 2007 MacBook Pro or the $1200 I gave for my 2007 MacBook.

 

 

 

Machine	Monthly Cost	Current status
2007 MacBook Pro	$60.41	Still In use
2007 MacBook	$21.42	Still in use
2008 Dell Insprion	$40.00	Dead after 20 Months (mother board solder)
2008 Dell Insprion	$31.81	Dead after 23 months (Screen died)
2007 HP (it tick me off so badly I don’t remember the model)	$53.84	Dead after 13 months. ( switch for the lid)

 

Simple Math ( cost of device/months of service life= monthly cost)

 

That little chart is approximate within a couple bucks on each device, thus showing that at least in my case it’s more cost effective to purchase a Mac. Not because of OS X or they supposed Sexiness of the device, but because the monthly TCO is cheaper. Note that the MacBook Pro was a personal indulgence and the only true performance machine in the list.  The rest are run of the mill Core2 duo or slower machines, one of the Dells was a small business model and the other a consumer model, the HP was a rather expensive, at the time, 14” model. Notice that the MacBook, which is still in use, will forever be the least expensive laptop, even if it dies tomorrow.

 

Back to Asus and Acer, until they can shed the consumer assumption that a new PC has to be cheap these “UltraBooks” won’t be a success. The race to the lowest price needs to be over and quality need to return to the PC industry and we as consumers need to be prepared to support this, but we won’t. I don’t know what the answer is but, someone needs to challenge Apple in the Quality PC business.  For the foreseable future though, I and many others will be buying MacBook Airs.

 

The Great Patent Battle - random thoughts

As I was reading an article about Barnes and Noble and their Patent issues with Microsoft on The Verge this morning, I started thinking.(It happens on occasion) With all the patents that are out there over the various functions of a current smart phone, I would guess that each and every company using Android, iOS BlackBerry, Windows Phone and all the the other touch enabled OSes on phones and tablets are infringing on patents that are owned by their competitors. Only Microsoft seems inclined to litigate.

Each of these companies are sitting on a treasure trove of Intellectual  Property (IP) that could be sued over, Hell, I believe that Motorola has a patent for the cell phone itself! Which begs the question, Why is it only Microsoft who is so litigation happy?  The simple answer is they have no physical product that makes them tons of money. They make their money from software licenses. So the more licenses they have out there the more money they make and it seems as if their mindset is to use their IP to make money just like selling a license for Windows or Office.

I'm rather split of this, I realize that if Microsoft really does have the patents, then licensing deals are in order and should be made. However, looking in from the outside, I have yet to see any information of which patents they are trying to license and it looks like more of a 'Bully Tactic' to encourage handset makers to license and use Windows Phone. Not knowing the patents in question, and it seems no one does, it would look like Microsoft is targeting Android. The thing that urks me is, if Android if violating these patents are the other OSes not? I find that hard to believe.

Random Thought - eBook and App Store Gift Cards

What is the one nicety that iTunes has over all the other services? Gift Cards. Easily accessible at any retail outlet, you can even get an iTunes card at many gas stations.

For adults without kids this may sound a little silly, but in the past year I have made several purchases based on this simple fact.  My kids use Kindles because the older ones can have an Amazon account without attaching a credit card, when they need money I can quickly and easily email them a gift card. Barnes and Noble requires a credit card be attached to the account for your eBook reader.  My kids use iPod Touches and iPhones, much to their dismay, (They had both picked out an Android device) because they can use gift cards with iTunes and Google has no such thing for the Android Market.

It comes down to the simple fact that Apple (through a little trickery) and Amazon do not require you to have a credit card on file with your account. To go along with this each make getting a gift card relatively easy, you can email one from either service and for iTunes you can get a card about anywhere. Thus, protecting my credit cards from being used to buy "Smurf Berries".