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Why are people so quick to shoot down Google Wallet?

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by Andrew Greenfield on
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Like everything in the mobile world, new ideas are often met with praise and jubilation by some, and criticism and detest from others. However, Google Wallet has taken tech sites by storm; way more than usual. In fact, the general idea about it is that it will fail. Sites are making claims such as “it won’t catch on,” “it’s horribly insecure,” and “it’s dead before it’s started.” As an author of a tech website, I’m flabbergasted. Since when was it our job to try to convince people NOT to try great new products? Every writer knows that by criticizing something you’ll get more page views. That’s all fine and dandy, but Google Wallet IS a good product. People should be excited about the possibilities, not afraid to get a phone with NFC because some tech blogs are calling it the devil. So I’m here to shoot down their claims and make my bold prediction. Google Wallet will not only succeed, it will take the world by storm. Crazy I know, but I have my reasons.

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What can we expect from future smartphones?

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by Robert Nazarian on
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The smartphone has come a long way over the past 10 years. It has gone from a simple contact and calendar database to including a camera, video camera, GPS, and thousands of apps available with the touch of a button. Over the next year, NFC will be incorporated which will be the next major breakthrough.

What can we expect from smartphones over the next few years? Of course we are going to have better displays, faster processors, and more memory, but there will be more. Here are some of the things I am expecting to be implemented or continue to grow over the next few years:

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Two fanboy fire starters: Android market share and free apps, and their relevance to you

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by Andrew Greenfield on
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We reported a little while ago about two things that are stirring up quite a ruckus in the digital world: The Android Market now has more free apps than its iOS counterpart, and that for the first time in a LONG time Android market share actually decreased slightly. As an Android user what does this mean for you?

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AT&T & T-Mobile, Want To Add Your 2 Cents Worth? FCC Says Ok.

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by Joe Sirianni on
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As you’re already aware, not everyone is happy with the AT&T&T-Mobile buy-out.  It appears that the FCC wants to know what you think about the whole acquisition, which is looking to be finalized about this time next year.  Have you had an opinion or thought on the matter?  The FCC has provided a place on their electronic comment filing page for you to chime in.  Now is the time to take advantage if you’ve been looking to get something off of your chest.  Head on over to their site via the source link and look for file number 147, proceeding number 11-65 and feel free to fire away in the comment box.  While you’re at it, paste that rant or blessing in our comments section first before pasting it over at their site.  We’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.  Dan Hesse, there’s even a spot for you too my friend!  As a T-Mobile employee myself, I have much to say on the matter, but I think I’ll save that jazz for another post.  I’ll just suffice it to say this, I shiver at the thought of Android being solely left in the hands of AT&T.

I think our friend Zak Stinson, over at Android Police sums it up well as to what we should be worried about:

  • A lack of competition resulting from fewer, larger carriers may result in less innovation and increased prices.
  • Both carriers’ 4G HSPA+ bands are incompatible, risking loss of coverage for T-Mobile handsets once AT&T LTE starts rolling out
  • Only one major carrier will be buying GSM handsets, meaning they will have the lion’s share of control over the GSM devices that make it to the U.S. market

[via fcc by androidpolice]

Why Apple won’t win the case against Amazon

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by Andrew Greenfield on
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It’s all over the internet. Apple is suing Amazon for using the term “App Store.” While petty arguments and lawsuits in the smartphone world are pretty common (in fact, keeping track of all of them would be impossible), this one has the public’s attention because Apple isn’t just suing Amazon. Apple is essentially setting the precedent to sue A LOT of people. So many companies use the term “app store” or some close resemblance to it. If Apple wins here, you can expect those companies to change those names immediately. However, that isn’t likely to happen. Here’s why:

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Rant: Hey Motorola, LG, Samsung, HTC… Stop focusing on performance, start focusing on batteries

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by Dustin Karnes on
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Yes, it may be a tired old song and dance, but it’s time the manufacturers stood back and took a listen. Will this be the venue they decide to do it in? Probably not, but I suppose it’s possible. So listen up, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG… it’s time we had a talk. We all love performance on our devices… of course. We know there’s an ever-growing demand for bigger, better, faster, stronger (insert more Daft Punk lyrics at your own risk) devices. But, let’s step back a moment. What good is bigger and better hardware that sucks the life out of the battery… without improving the battery?

I don’t know about everyone else, but I for one am tired of seeing tutorial after tutorial of the same info on how to improve your Android’s battery life. Not that the information is bad or wrong, but I don’t feel that it should, at this point be necessary. Shouldn’t we be seeing smaller and smaller batteries with more and more power jammed into them? And please, readers, no comments like “well, just buy an extended battery”. I have an extended battery for my Evo, and I absolutely despise what it does to the device aesthetically. I shouldn’t have to sacrifice looks and style for longer performance.

So, manufacturers, where are our killer batteries that actually still allow us to fit our phones in our pockets? I know I’m waiting around for mine, and I’m relatively certain that most of these readers are, too. You can give us 4.3″ screens all day long, but what good is that if we have to keep our brightness at 10% so we can’t even see it in any kind of light? How about a battery that can play Angry Birds for more than an hour? Or can actually play more than one movie on a single charge?

What makes you angry about your Android’s battery? Be sure to let us know in the comments.

Android users “proven” to be “just as bad as Apple enthusiasts (if not worse),” and the growing decline of sanity

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by Andrew Greenfield on
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A recent post by Business Insider has got the smartphone world abuzz after posting the results of one of its surveys. In fact, one of the points the article is pushing is that the majority of Android users responded with “nothing, I hate Apple” as to why they wouldn’t buy an iPhone in the future. This has lead to many article being posted about how arrogant Android fans are starting to become. The typical “stigma” for Apple users is that they are stuck up and believe anything that Apple tells them (with Android users being nerds who still live in their mom’s houses). And while it’s no surprise that in the heated war between Google and Apple people would take a shot at the other one (especially on a survey that may be published). Both sides do that, and I don’t have a problem with that. You’ll always have your rock solid supporters who would take a bullet to save their ship or somehow sink the other one. Apple has them. Android has them. What I do have a problem with is when sites take advantage of peoples’ willingness to just read a headline and not actually look into the article.

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It is time for one manufacturer to commit to stock Android

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by Robert Nazarian on
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The explosion of Android occurred because many manufacturers adopted the platform. These manufacturers have been fighting to differentiate themselves by creating custom user interfaces (UI) on top of the Android software. Examples of this is HTC’s Sense, Motorola’s Blur, and Samsung’s Touchwiz.

I understand why these companies are doing this, but lets be honest, the average consumer has no clue about any of these UI’s. The average consumer is buying a device based on brand, recommendations, and more importantly, what their chosen carrier offers. Since just about everyone has abandoned the concept of stock Android, it seems like a perfect time for one manufacturer to commit to producing only (or mostly) stock Android devices. There are some advantages that are worthwhile to both the manufacturer and consumer.

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Why are we tablet crazy? Do I really need one?

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by Robert Nazarian on
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Last year Apple launched the IPad, and it was more successful than anyone thought. This year will be the tablet explosion as Apple’s IPad 2, and plenty of Android versions, will be available. I think the ultimate thought is that tablets will eventually take over laptops, but since this has not happened, why should I invest in one?

It seems as though the tablet has become the new $500 “coffee table book.” Recently, AdMob did a survey on tablet use, and they found that 82% of tablet owners use it only at home. The tablet has become the new casual computer at home for doing some web surfing, reading the news, or playing some games. My laptop can do all of these things and a lot more.

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Is Apple in trouble?

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by Andrew Greenfield on
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Before you read into the title too much, hear this: This is only addressing the people that only time Apple should exist is if they’re winning the smartphone os war. Apple is in no danger of even becoming a niche market anytime soon. However, since they’ve been usurped in market I’ve noticed a couple of things that you also may find interesting (and a lot claims that Apple is in trouble)

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