Google Android’s numerous handset manufacturers have made the mobile OS platform incredibly accessible to consumers across the world. The one downside is that each of these vendors goes through its own process to adopt the latest version upgrades. Some handsets are not capable of those major upgrades, like Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.
Luckily for Sprint Nexus S 4G owners, the wait should not be much longer. An internal testing ROM was seen on Google’s servers that will update the Nexus S 4G to Android v4.0.4 build IMM26. Of course that file was pulled once it was seen, but the more curious of you can get a mirrored copy at xda-developers. But, with the removal from Google servers, it is likely better to wait for the official release.
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The popularity of this device has customers of Verizon wishing it was available as an unlocked handset that could be used with their existing contracts. As LTE 4G becomes more mainstream across North America, the availability of smartphones capable of taking advantage of these speeds will increase. Carriers have been rushing to pair up with manufacturers to augment their product lines. The question of whether customers will be willing to pay the premium cost of these data plans.
The good news is that there is no requirement to utilize the 4G LTE capabilities until the costs are more accessible. In the interim, these customers have the good fortune of not having to purchase a new handset to get the Ice Cream Sandwich update which leaves more funds to invest in the must-have and secretly-covet accessories to make the most of your pocket PC.
As this report indicates, the version had release keys which denote a fast-approaching launch date. So far, the next gen Android platform has had great reviews, so be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for your Nexus S 4G update!
The changing of the guard from one year to the next brings inevitable changes. This is especially true with mobile technology which is arguably one of the most competitive and innovative segments of the tech industry as traditional feature phones and carriers are challenged with smartphone technologies and apps and unlocked phones.
So even if you keep half an ear to the latest happenings in this niche of the world market, there is a plethora of information, rumors, and announcements to keep track of. To help make the focus more manageable, here are a few noteworthy notices to kick off your 2012 mobile tech watch.
First, the continuing saga of the king of feature phones as it endeavors to make its mark in a smartphone world: Nokia. The mobile OS this manufacturer chose for its foray into smartphones is Symbian. Clearly this pairing didn’t fare well in the global marketplace. As a farewell gesture that is bound to drive the final nail in the coffin of Symbian, Nokia has opted to rebrand its latest smartphone as Nokia Belle. No Symbian to be mentioned in association again it seems. Perhaps the best rebranding for Nokia would be launching a new tablet featuring its next mobile OS choice.
Not to be left out, Google Android is bound to make this list. And, it is no surprise that it is causing waves with its much-buzzed-about OS upgrade: Ice Cream Sandwich. Global rollouts of this Android 4.0 update were supposed to have begun for Nexus S customers a few days ago, but according to the Google Community Manager, Paul Wilcox, announced that they are pausing updates to better monitor feedback for a while (this sounds oddly familiar to CarrierIQ scandal which highlighted the benefits of customers choosing unlocked devices).
On a more positive note for Google, they are now globally activating approximately 700,000 Android devices daily. The company’s willingness to work with many manufacturers (creating more opportunities for customers to choose carrier neutral unlocked phones), is significantly contributing to their continued growth around the world.
To follow on the heels of Google’s customer driven philosophy, carriers are having to fight the loss of their exclusivity on smartphones, tablets and accessories by dropping their prices. Recent reports show that 4G LTE pricing may drop by as 60% by 2016 as the additional speeds aren’t worth the cost for heavy users and the carrier specific devices that enable 4G are markedly more expensive than their 3G counterparts as well.
Every brand and company has its shtick, its M.O., its press friendly sound bytes. Google is no different when espousing the virtues of its Google Android operating system at each event they are able to use a soapbox and spread their smartphone evangelism. The main gospel is the Android culture of openness and the lack of limitations is to the benefit of the consumer.
This is great PR spin. And this writer truly loves a good euphemism laced with truth. So, while Android is more open that its competitors, it is comparative. When held up to open-source software like Linux, it is actually quite closed. Hence, a Hollywoodesque Benniffer moniker is bound to catch: Clopen.
At the moment, Google makes the Android OS source code available to companies and individuals to customize to their liking. Very open and transparent, non? Flip side of this coin is the Google mobile suite: Gmail, Android Market, Google Maps, and the long list of “Google” stamped functions. These are closed sourced. The double talk is confusing for customers. Especially when end users purchase a no-Market Android device. Not good PR.
Throw in the custom skins and fragmentations used by the varied carriers and manufacturers and there is a varying standard of quality for the smartphones bearing the Android and Google names. This is damaging to a brand. In fact, Marketing Land’s Danny Sullivan wrote that these quality control discrepancies are resulting in customers with outdated devices in their hands. This particular quirk can be addressed with accessories (protective cases, upgraded screen skins etc), but what is under the hood is harder to resolve.
Case in point: the latest Android OS release, Ice Cream Sandwich. Various manufacturers have hedged and speculated about when the update would be available and on what phones and what carriers (at least with an unlocked phone, the customer will have more say in to get the latest Android OS). As of right now, only one physical device has the update on it. The flagship Android phone, Galaxy Nexus. Newer devices like the DROID RAZR, DROID Bionic, and the Rezound should see the update later in 2012, but there are many others like the LG Revolution (launched only 7 months ago) that will never get the ICS upgrade treatment because of the carrier (please see above note about unlocked phones!).
Luckily for customers, the Open Handset Alliance which encompasses major US players (LG, HTC, Motorola, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T to name a few) which has pledged with Google to bring an end to fragmentation and bring the latest Android OS to devices if the smartphone release is 18 months old or younger.
It is common knowledge that both Apple and Google are the foremost thought leaders in the technology industry and as a result have secured global dominance of the smartphone OS market space. What is surprising is reviewing the numbers and trends that show an astronomical growth for the two giants over the course of 18 months. As can be seen in chart provided by comScore – the leading provider of online digital world measurement metrics – U.S. mobile subscribers are used to demonstrate the dramatic transition in market shares in the ever growing smartphone market. Discover the benefits of online shopping…. experience the largest assortment of wireless device accessories at the lowest prices on the Internet.
In less than a year and a half (between August 2010 and November 2011), the combined U.S. market share for Google and Apple – based on the number of mobile subscribers of iPhones and Android phones – jumped from 43.8 percent to 75.6 percent! When one considers the exponential growth of the mobile market and the rapid consumer adoption of wireless devices such as unlocked cell phones and tablets as well as for the associated branded protective accessories… it becomes apparent how staggering the revenue potential of these combined markets really is.
Another drastic market shift is the fall of beleaguered Canadian high-tech giant, Research In Motion. RIM has been plagued with technology based challenges, security issues, lackluster apps, production setbacks, numerous litigations and dismal product design, which all contributed to its fall from grace. Losing subscribership in the 18 month period, RIM’s BlackBerry market share dropped from 37.6 percent to 19.7 percent. Microsoft didn’t fare any better when it’s popularity poll was cut almost in half. Lastly, market laggard, Palm who? Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool! Discover select accessories, such as stylus & pens, SD Micro memory cards, batteries, speakers and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.
So how and why did Android and Apple win over so many consumers? Analysts and industry experts seem to agree that unlocked phones for carrier neutrality, provided subscribers with the freedom to break away from being tied in with long term service provider contracts and negotiate lower priced service plans that best met their lifestyle needs . Secondly, the branding of not only the device, but the wide array of innovative top brand accessories drew customers in. Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky! Discover the latest innovative protection solutions of stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specially designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes with our. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside our brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.
Recently Google has been busy updating its phone sales site and the latest word for Verizon Wireless customers looking to get their hands on a Nexus One is to look at the “similarly feature-packed” cousin of the Nexus One, the Incredible. One important fact that is left out of the update on their sales site is the “coming soon” tag which suggests that the Nexus One has been discontinued for Verizon Wireless customers.
In a separate blog post updating us on carrier partnerships, Google once again reiterates its mini-advertisement for the new HTC phone on Verizon while not mentioning anything about the Nexus One’s future. While a true CDMA variant should still be coming on the Sprint network Google is still making it quite difficult to understand whether or not the Nexus One for Verizon has been canceled.
Update: In a recent update Google has just informed the tech website engadget that the Nexus One for the Verizon Wireless network is officially dead. Below is Google’s official statement:
We won’t be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC.
This is all certainly understandable and nice to see Google finally come out and say what many have been speculating for a while. Now that we know the Nexus One is officially dead for the Verizon network customers of this cell phone network can focus their attention on the Incredible by HTC for all of their Android needs or purchase an ulocked HTC Hero to use.
Verizon Wireless recently announced that it will open its own mobile phone applications store on March 29th. The announcement was made this week at the CTIA Wireless convention in Las Vegas. This is an interesting move by Verizon as they are entering an already well established market. Rival companies such as Apple and Google currently already operate their own versions of app stores for the iPhone and various Android based phones.
The aspect of the Verizon app store that is going to be different and hopefully will differentiate Verizon from their competitors is the ability to pay for apps using your cell phone bill instead of having to create a new account for the app store. Currently the way the other app stores works is that a consumer will need to set up an entirely new account to use with the app store and are billed separately. With Verizon’s new store users will be able to make purchases as they please and will just see the charges appear on their monthly cell phone bill which will make paying for the new apps a breeze from your unlocked cell phone.
With big name brands already entrenched in the mobile app store market it will be interesting to see how Verizon makes their initial splash. I will be interested to see how the ability to pay for the apps with your monthly cell phone bill will be received by current Verizon consumers. It certainly does seem to make it much easier to browse the app store and make purchases when all you need to do is confirm your purchase. However, after an initial account set up this is how the other app stores work so there will not be that much difference between the three big app stores.
Verizon wireless has received notification that they are being sued in a class action lawsuit in the state of New Jersey. This class-action suit from the law firm of Goldman Scarlato & Karon, P.C. has been filed on behalf of cell phone users that do not have smart phones. They are claiming that these users have been charged for data transfer services that they have never actually used. This is in regard to customers being charged accidentally the $1.99 per megabyte for accessing the web or using any other data services. Verizon stated that these charges are only access to those users that stray away from the Verizon home page and obtain other applications and services. The lawsuit claims that Verizon has charged customers even though they have not accessed this type of service. The lawsuit is looking to be able to return the money is improperly charged back to the customers.
In other news, the major United States carriers, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, along with Google have begun to respond to the FCC in regard to the early termination fees that customers have to pay. It has long known that these carriers as well as others have had extremely high early termination fees in order to cover the costs of the cell phone devices that they provide at a discount through their plans. Google has stated that their $350 fee for customers that use the Nexus One and break their contract is fair.
In the past, Nexus One users have had to actually pay early termination fees to both Google and T-Mobile. They have begun to reduce some of these early termination fees and have actually lowered it to $150 for new T-Mobile customers. The make your carriers also explained that they would be making sure that they fully disclose the early termination fees to all customers. This is just one more reason why unlocked cell phones are probably one of the best ways to avoid the unnecessary fees from the major carriers in the United States.
When Google announced their new social network, Buzz, they did not fully take into account how important people think their privacy is. Two days after it was first launched, Google had to make several revisions to the platform.
Originally, the application was Google’s answer to Twitter but with some extras. Buzz was to let you use Google Maps with Buzz in order for you to focus on your actual location and synching it with your Gmail address book. The application lets you share your location with others and gives additional information about the place you are visiting. This app syncs with your Google Nexus One unlocked cell phone and your computer. This would let your followers know where you are and what you are doing.
Unfortunately when it was released, it allowed everyone to see your public profile. As a user, you had to block the public from viewing your information. On February 12, 2010, Google made some changes so you could block anyone following you that you did not want following you. They based these changes on the amount of user feedback stating that this was an invasion of privacy. Google enhanced Buzz with features to improve privacy settings and giving the user more control about how information would be shared.
This must not be enough for some users as a lawsuit was filed this week in San Jose (CA). The class action was filed in federal court and states that Google has invaded privacy issues by how it released Buzz. Most times, applications state that you must opt in, while Buzz made it so that you had to opt out. This made over 31 million users of Gmail affected by the way Buzz was introduced. The suit could actually include every Gmail user. Google has not made any official statement, as they have not yet taken a look at the lawsuit. You would have thought that Google would have taken into consideration these kinds of privacy issues prior to the release. Make sure that your public profile is excluded before you use Buzz on your mobile unlocked cell phone like the Google Nexus One.
There were a few things I noticed last night while watching the Super Bowl. I personally thought that many of the commercials fell flat. I most certainly expected a bit more flash. The Vizio ad was stunning and of course Betty White was hilarious. But one of the most surprising things was the Google Ad. This was certainly an unexpected ad coming from the company that does not spend any money on television advertising. The story it told was really fun and full of nice sentiments. We watched someone’s life unfold through Google searches.
I thought that they should have used a cell phone using Google search and the Google map application on the Nexus One phone. This could have been a great way to highlight their search engine on the cell phone. Most everyone already knows how to Google, but everyone may not know about the Google options for their cell phone. But it was certainly fun to watch and created quite a stir that they even placed an ad during the Super Bowl.
I also thought it was really cool that as the New Orleans Saints were running onto the field at the start of the game that some of the coaches were taking either pictures or videos with their cell phones. This just goes to show you how far we have come in regard to cell phone technology. The clarity and how easy it is to use our cell phones, like the Nexus One, to take great pictures and video is replacing the need for a bulky camera. I am sure that with a 5-megapixel camera, that they got some great shots, and with a touch of a button, they can share those pictures quickly.
The game was exciting to watch and most of the commercials were good. The Google ad and the David Letterman spot were both surprises and made for a great night of football. I cannot wait until next year to see what the Super Bowl will bring.
Google has announced that it is offering an updated version of its mobile map applications. This is available for many users of the 3.4 version on their phones. This newer version is for use with the android platform. It has many new features that will enhance the map using experience. This also comes on the heels as Google announced a software update for the Nexus One. This software update began setting the stage for Nexus One users to be able to get some of the enhanced features with Google maps.
The biggest thing about this update is it becomes much better to synchronize some of the operations between your PC and your mobile phone. Like so many people we sometimes search for something at home, get in the car and because we didn’t write it down, we forgot where we were going. We could send a message to ourselves, but that seems silly, since our phone and our computer should be able to talk each other better. This is why Google has introduced the new software to be able to use personalized suggestions and starring features for Google maps on your Android.
You will be able to pull up your searching history from your cell phone to be able to see some of the places that you wanted to go. With the starring feature, you can actually save this information and be able to access it at any time. This will show you some of the details about the business or restaurant that you want to visit. Not only will you be able see this on your mobile phone, but you will also be able to see it on your desktop computer.
To use the feature, you will have to be signed into your Google account and your web history needs to be turned on. Many people that own Nexus One unlocked phones will be able to download the update at any time. For any other of the android cell phones, you will be able to get it directly from the Android market. This is a really cool feature that can make life a lot more simple. I cannot tell you how many times I have decided to go somewhere, thought I knew the address, got in the car, started driving and did not know where I was going. This should be able to help make life a lot easier and getting places much more simple.
