Android and Me |
- Verizon launching $50/month prepaid talk, text and data plan?
- Better media management coming to Android? Google acquires Pushlife
- CEO Larry Page shakes up things at Google, Andy Rubin becomes chief of mobile
- Weekend deal: Get the Motorola Atrix 4G for a mere $49.99 from Amazon
- Pictured: Android’s astronomical growth and Symbian’s demise
- Android and Me and You (aka Where did Taylor go?)
- WiFi-only Acer Iconia Tab A500 hitting Best Buy with a $450 price tag
| Verizon launching $50/month prepaid talk, text and data plan? Posted: 08 Apr 2011 06:52 PM PDT Verizon might be feeling a bit of pressure from prepaid competitors like Virgin Mobile and MetroPCS. According to Droid-Life, Big Red could soon be launching some brand new prepaid plans. The first one is $50/month for unlimited everything except data. The other two are day to day plans, costing $0.99 and $1.99 respectively. These prices are still a tad more than Virgin’s popular $25/month plan for unlimited everything and 300 calling minutes. But at least it’s a step in the right direction for the wireless carrier, which is generally known for not-very-cheap plan rates.
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| Better media management coming to Android? Google acquires Pushlife Posted: 08 Apr 2011 06:18 PM PDT Pushlife, a Toronto-based mobile entertainment company, just announced on its website that it has been acquired by Google. What’s Pushlife you ask? Well, according to TechCrunch “PushLife let you manage wallpapers, music, videos, ringtones and other media on your cell phone until its acquisition” What will the Pushlife team be doing at Google?
Sounds like this is continuation to what we heard back in January that Google was hiring mobile developers to build Android apps. In this case, it could be something related to “immersive mobile experiences for people to play, organize, share and purchase digital content across multiple devices” In other words, better media management for Android. Google Music is right around the corner, but it looks like Google doesn’t want to stop there. The software giant might be working on a true iTunes competitor. A product for not only music but also other types of media like wallpapers, ringtones, videos, podcasts, etc. Or I could be reading too much into this acquisition. Either way, more apps for Android is always good. Update: Here’s a video showing Pushlife’s music app. Thanks, Varemenos.
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| CEO Larry Page shakes up things at Google, Andy Rubin becomes chief of mobile Posted: 08 Apr 2011 05:43 PM PDT It’s just been a few days since Larry Page (right) took the role of CEO at Google, but the company’s co-founder is not wasting any time. Following Senior Vice President Jonathan Rosenberg’s departure last Monday, Larry continues shuffling things around at Plex. There’ll be now seven Senior Vice Presidents in charge of certain product categories at Google. All seven executives report directly to Larry, making the decision-making process a lot more streamlined. Here’s a summary of Page’s new lieutenants.
The one we’re interested in is the very first one, Andy Rubin. Mr. Rubin — head of Android development — will now lead all of Google’s mobile efforts. What does this mean for you? A lot more integration between Google’s mobile products and Android. We can expect a more aggressive strategy to bring Google’s products to Android. Google Docs comes to mind, which has no official app for Android. It’s also possible that products like Google Voice now fall under Andy Rubin’s control. Meaning, we could see Google Voice taken to new heights on Android. Features like MMS support and VoIP calling could find their way into the Google Voice app for Android in the coming months. I’m very excited to see what comes out of this management revamp at Google.
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| Weekend deal: Get the Motorola Atrix 4G for a mere $49.99 from Amazon Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:42 PM PDT Are you looking for a new phone? Are you looking for a new phone that is also a laptop? Are you looking for a new phone that has the latest specs and features? Are you broke like most of us? Then Amazon has you covered. During this weekend, you’ll be able to get the Motorola Atrix 4G for the holy-cow-that’s-cheap price of $49.99 from Amazon. As always, you’ll have to sign a two-year contract with AT&T for this offer to apply. To refresh your memory, here’s a summary of the Atrix 4G’s many features.
That’s lot of goodies for just 50 bucks. Will any of you guys be jumping on this offer?
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| Pictured: Android’s astronomical growth and Symbian’s demise Posted: 08 Apr 2011 03:17 PM PDT A few days ago we reported on Android’s growth in the United States — despite the Verizon iPhone. That’s all fine and dandy, but how is Android doing in the rest of the world. Well, pretty great actually. Our favorite green robot buddy is on its way to become the dominant smartphone platform by a huge margin. According to Gartner, Android should end this year with a market share at around 40%. For comparison, the second-largest platform — Apple’s iOS — will end this year with a 19.4% share of the market. Moreover, the research firm predicts that Android will own around half the global market in 2015. Something I’m having a hard time agreeing with, but an incredible feat whatsoever if it happens. One of those opponents that fell victim to the Android phenomenon is Symbian. Symbian’s decline is almost a mirrored image of Android’s growth — as seen in the graph above. Nokia fell completely asleep at the wheel, dismissing Android as a fad that it would go away eventually — boy, were they wrong. Two years later, Nokia is headed by an ex-Microsoft executive and had to partner with said company just to survive. In just two years, Nokia went from mobile powerhouse to Microsoft’s mobile hardware department. If something is an anything killer, Android is a Symbian killer. Gartner expects Symbian to have a 0.1% market share in 2015. Symbian, you’ve been assimilated. As you can see on the graph above, Gartner believes I’m very skeptical about this forecast for a few reasons. Firstly, Windows Phone 7 has been available for almost 6 months already, but has done nothing to turn around Microsoft’s declining market share. Put simply, people are not buying these things. Secondly, WP7 is right now aimed at the high-end section of the market, competing more with the iPhone than Android. Tell me where I can find the LG Optimus One of WP7, that’s right, nowhere. Those kinds of phones are the driving force behind Android’s growth. Believe it or not, not everybody wants or can buy the Motorola Atrix 4G. Most people want a cheap upgrade from their “dumbphones”, and that’s where Android excels. Due to Microsoft’s tight control of WP7 and standardized specifications, OEMs are not able to make cheap smartphones like the Huawei Ideos. Lastly, Nokia might be very good at building excellent hardware, but these days software is becoming more important than hardware. Today, consumers care more about the amount of quality apps on your platform than the amount of megapixels your phones have — and software is Windows Phone 7′s weakest spot. Being at least one year or more behind Android and iOS. But I’m open-minded, I’ll reconsider my opinion once I see WP7′s market share go anywhere but down, which is what it’s doing now. Android’s rise to the top is nothing short of breathtaking. It seems like just yesterday we were waiting impatiently for the Motorola Droid’s launch or reading about this new Google project named Android. In little more than two very short years, Android has gone from underdog to unstoppable destroyer of any who dares oppose it. But enough with what I think, I want to hear what you guys think. Do you see Android stopping at 50% of the market?
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| Android and Me and You (aka Where did Taylor go?) Posted: 08 Apr 2011 11:17 AM PDT Most of you have noticed by now that I stopped posting articles and there is a good reason for that. After two years of solid Android blogging, it is time for me to move on. This week I began my new job as a product manager at NetShelter Technology Media. The name might be foreign to you, but NetShelter is the company responsible for serving our ads and they are a major reason we were able to grow this platform to the size that it reached. I started this blog two years ago when there was just a single Android phone and only a handful of fan sites. From the moment I got my pre-ordered G1 in the mail, I recognized that Android was the future of mobile and I wanted to tell the world about it. Fast forward to today and now there are thousands of Android devices available in every country and hundreds of blogs that report on them. Android became the leading smartphone platform and I accomplished everything I wanted to as a blogger. Because I am leaving that does not mean Android and Me will fade away. In fact, I think the best is yet to come. I'm transferring complete control of the site to Clark and Angie, who have been working on a special project that will take Android and Me to the next level. Clark has already started to hire several new writers to keep up with the news and I hope you give them a warm welcome. I'd like to thank everyone that contributed to the success of the site. I wish I could name every person, but I'm sure there would be some names I leave off (and I might get some people in trouble hah). If you want to keep up with my journeys or get in touch with me, you can follow me on Twitter - @wimbet. p.s. I know everyone loved my Android Insider rumor reports so I'll leave you with one final tip. LG Nexus 3 with Tegra 3 by Christmas…
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| WiFi-only Acer Iconia Tab A500 hitting Best Buy with a $450 price tag Posted: 08 Apr 2011 09:15 AM PDT Though the mainstream products, such as the Motorola Xoom, are definitely fun and exciting, their price tags are a bit on the high side if you are an early adopter. As a plethora of tablets come into the market, more options that would keep your wallet healthy are starting to rise over the horizon, as well as WiFi-only versions, for those that prefer to go without a carrier. Budget efficient tablets, such as the recently announced Galaxy Tab WiFi-only (7-inch version), the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, and of course, the Nook Color, are life savers for all the money conscious Android fans out there. Today, Acer’s Honeycomb tablet, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (WiFi-Only), has been given an official price and release date, and will hit Best Buy stores (yes, exclusively) on April 24, at a price of $449.99. The device is currently available for pre-orders at bestbuy.com, but it can also be pre-ordered in stores on April 14. Acer Iconia Tab A500 Specification:
Acer will also sell a few accessories for the Iconia A500, which include a full size Bluetooth keyboard for $69.99, a dock for $79.99, and a case for $39.99. For $450, the Acer Iconia A500 is actually a very impressive device, and mostly matches the specs of the Motorola Xoom WiFI, which sells for$600. Along with the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 is a great option for those that would like to have an Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet, while keeping an eye on the savings. Gallery         
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