Living with Android(Part 1) – Making the Switch and Why

After two years of living with an iPhone, I find myself wanting more.  I respect the iOS platforms a great deal for fostering change.  Change the smartphone industry, left to themselves, may have not made without Apple’s impetus.  Sure the iPhone is great and getting better, but it no longer holds my interest.  Why?  It’s complicated.  I want to touch on such issues in the following and first piece of my Living with Android anthology.

First though, a brief introduction as to why I personally wanted to try the Android OS:  Capability, Openness, Flexibility, Choice, and Platform Momentum.  Undoubtedly, Android is capable, and becoming more so daily.  Developer interest is growing rapidly due to the platforms ever growing reach.  Reach that in North America beat the iPhone’s unit sales figures.  Developers aren’t the only catalyst for the platform.  It’s Google that continues its frenetic pace of Android development.  Google and the Android development community at large have combined to create arguably the most capable mobile platform available today.

Openness, has been a hallmark of the Android platform since inception.  Android is an open-source project.  The openness continues in how Google deals with the hardware partners(labeled the Open Handset Alliance), developers, and users of the platform.  Things like ringtones that will only be available for cost on the iPhone are freely available in the Android Marketplace.  Customizing things such as the email tone, isn’t possible on the iPhone.  Not even how persistent the tone will be when you receive an email.  That borders on unsuitable for business use.  Apple concedes ground to other mobile platforms via their draconian App Store vetting process.  What they call vetting, others would call anti-competitive.  They will purposely not permit certain applications on the App Store that will jeopardize their products or strengthen their competition.  No choice in email client, browser, virtual keyboard, local music player, etc…

Another pet peeve I have with Apple, there is no choice of hardware.  To most, Apple hardware and software are indivisible and certainly a major part of Apple’s cohesive experience and ethos.  I stand with Apple in the belief that delivering both hardware and software provides the most consistent user experience possible.  But that will take Apple only so far. The conscience decision not to stratify iPhone hardware offerings to date leaves a smartphone shopper in 2010 with plenty of alternatives.  Do you want a larger screen, longer battery life, or a keyboard?  Look elsewhere.  Apple’s only concession is to offer last year’s model, slightly decontented, at a reduced price–not good enough!

Fortunately, purveyors of other major platforms say yes to all of the above.  Notably Google.  Apple and the iPhone still carry the formidable momentum of being first to market with a popular smartphone platform.  Google launched Android a year later.  Now Android is now the platform sales volume leader in the US.  That was the last reason I chose to try Android.  The preeminence of android should provide developers enough financial incentive to push this platform to the next level.

iPhone OS 4.0 – Apple’s Biggest Release of 2010

Far more important than the recent release of the iPad, will be the release of iPhone OS 4.0, the OS for all Apple tablet-style devices.  Since this will be a significant upgrade to Apple’s fastest growing business segments, this is the most important product release of the year.    It will be the biggest opportunity to curtail new competition from the likes of Microsoft and Nokia, and existing competiton from Google and RIM.  It needs to fill key functionality gaps(multi-tasking) while continuing to provide the unrivaled platform consistency that has made the iPhone a developer’s paradise.  To some degree, a splintered platform is inevitable due to evolving hardware, but so far, the iPhone has enjoyed unparalleled backward compatibility.  Due to competitive pressure, this OS release will need to make a bigger leap than in previous years and it will need to be spectacular.  Here’s what will likely be announced on Thursday April 8, 2010, in order of decending probability:

1. 3rd-Party Software Multitasking
   • Possibly for iPhone 3GS or newer
     1. Processor and memory limit legacy hardware
   • Expect Mac-like Task Switching(ala Expose’)
2. Greater Customization of App Launcher(Springboard)
   • Widgets
   • Wallpaper Support(as seen on iPad)
   • Desktop Motif Unlikely
3. Discrete Notifications
   • Notify without disturbing current activities/application
4. Video Conferencing Support
   • New hardware and network bandwidth make this viable now
5. HD Video Recording Support
   • 2010 iPhone & iPod hardware will utilize this facility
6. Support for higher resolution displays
   • 960×640 is likely the new display standard for iPhones/iPod Touches
7. CDMA Protocol Support
   • LTE Network is taking too long; CDMA stop-gap necessary
     1. Verizon seen as benefactor
   • Largely seen as defensive against Android Platform Penetration
8. PIM Application Refinements
   • Unified Inbox
   • Possible Elimination of YouTube App
     1. YouTube now HTML5 enabled
   • iPad-like upgrades may be in pipeline
   • Expect SMS and all Email in one view
9. Legacy Hardware will not support most new features
   • Potential for big upgrade cycle for new features
10. Integrated Wireless Printing Support
11. Expanded use of Voice Commands
12. WiFi Syncing with iTunes
13. File Sharing Between Local Applications
14. RF Payment Processing Support

Windows Phone, it’s too late… (Update 1)

Windows Phone 7 Series:  A respectable showing from the antithesis of mobile innovation.   Though, if anyone can be late to a category, it’s Microsoft.  Their monopolistic position allows them to distribute Windows profits to money losing ventures like Bing, XBOX, and soon, I think, Windows Phone.  While the initial spotlight showed prototypes well, it wasn’t without serious issues:

1. Very slow response times
   1. Judgements based on H/W prototypes
2. No Windows Mobile Legacy Application Support
   1. Biggest indicator that MS is serious about future success!
   2. Admission of Windows Mobile Failure
3. The ‘Experience’ by Microsoft
   1. ‘Novel’ UI Design, not so novel
      1. Web OS, Motoblur, Android already provide unified social networking
   2. Hardware button layout controlled by Microsoft
   3. UI cannot be altered by phone manufacture/carrier
      1. Undifferentiated products is the outcome

Here’s what we need to be questioning:

1. The OS is graphically and connectivity intensive, meaning it will need …
   1. Dual-core SOCs for multiple threads and processes
      1. Dual application processor ARM Cortex A8 & A9 based offerings available at OS launch(Q4 2010)
   2. 45nm production processes for SOCs with decent energy efficiency
   3. LED backlighting or OLED displays to have even average battery life(by 2010 standards)
   4. Multitasking ala iPhone foreshadows poor battery life
2. How will developers monetize the Hub UI concept?
3. Does the world need another major phone platform?
   1. iPhone OS, Android, Symbian, Web OS and even Windows Mobile will vie for user/developer attention…
   2. May gain traction while the Smartphone market is growing as a whole
4. How will Microsoft entice the development ecosystem to Windows Phone?
   1. Sweeten the Profit Sharing Ratio of 3rd party apps.?
   2. Enterprises will continue to focus on Windows Mobile for quite some time
   3. Corporate Windows Phone adoption rate slow for first year, at the very best
5. Microsoft has the ability to fund development of the platform for years without netting a dime
   1. Apple, Google, and Nokia are, unfortunately for Microsoft, well capitalized competitors
   2. Technical superiority of Windows Phone will need to be clear
      1. Even if MS had the sizzle to sell, it couldn’t
6. High Spec. Common Hardware Denominator
   1. Think Motorola/Verizon Droid level hardware as a foundation
7. As an OS provider to the world, they WILL stratify their mobile OS offerings
   1. Does this imply a Windows Phone 6 series or 7 series lite?  Yes!
8. No matter how tightly Microsoft wants to control the ‘experience’, it may not be good enough
   1. Competing on the ‘experience’ is a losing strategy with vertically integrated competition
   2. Apple, Palm, and Nokia are highly vertically integrated competitors
   3. Apple is the best at this game with internal competencies in battery, CPU, overall device, and OS design.

Related Links:

Is Microsoft a four-letter word?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10455366-16.html?tag=newsFeaturedBlogArea.0

HTPC Heaven (Update 3)

Electronics convergence at the George Household has reached a new level.  The idea of a HTPC(Home Theater PC) as a general content player has been in my mind since 1997.  My first build was in 1998 but it was merely a CD/DVD player, Web Browser, and MP3 player.  I wanted more.  I wanted something that would replace every device that connected to my TV, except for the receiver/amplifier.  I also wanted all of these capabilities with zero monthly equipment related costs; such as leasing fees(i.e. for cable equipment) or guide listing fees(e.g. Tivo).  The dream of a fully converged device for consuming all varieties of content was realized, albeit at a price:  $2 per month for a cable card.  The search brought me to the following ingredients, some old, some new, all stirred carefully:

1. Shuttle SP45H7
2. Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 (2.66Ghz * 4 Cores)(8MB L2 Cache)
3. Corsair XMS2 8GB RAM (4 X 2GB DDR2-800 DIMMs)
4. Seagate 1.5TB (7200RPM)(SATA II)(32MB Cache)
5. Generic Flash Card Reader (Reads Everything)
6. LG HD-DVD/BLU-RAY/DVD-ANY Writer
7. MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
8. Cyberlink PowerDVD 9 Ultra(Integrates with Media Center)
9. MS MCE USB/IR Receiver
10. Logitech Harmony One
11. HDMI 1.3a C2 Cables
12. Onkyo TX-SR607
13. ATI External Digital Cable Card Tuner
14. ATI Radeon 4350 (Passively Cooled)
15. Linksys A/B/G/N Simultaneous Dual-Band USB Wi-fi Adapter
16. Sony Grand Wega XBR KF-50XBR800
17. Linksys A/B/G/N Simultaneous Dual-Band Wi-fi Router
18. Adesso SlimTouch Wireless 2.4Ghz Mini Touchpad Wireless Keyboard

While each item above carries with it considerable thought, the point is that the above parts integrate well, are quiet, stable, and serve as a genuine cable box DVR replacement, even for your grandmother.  If it didn’t work this easily, day in, day out, with remote control ease-of-use, the whole build process would have been a failure.   Here’s what it can do for you:

1. Netflix Streaming
2. Amazon VOD(Video on Demand) Streaming(Requires Keyboard)
3. iTunes VOD Streaming(Requires Keyboard)
4. Hulu VOD
5. DVD, HD-DVD, & Blu-Ray Player
6. HD Cable Tuner & DVR(Including Premium Channels)
7. Photo Viewer
8. Music Player
9. Movie Library Player
10. Web Browser
11. Microsoft Video Streaming
12. PC Gaming(Requires Keyboard)
13. Content Streaming(UPnP)(Recorded TV, Other Video, Photos, Music) from HTPC to any PC/UPnP Client

Stay tuned, lessons learned, pitfalls, and of course information on the next HTPC build coming soon…

Smartphone Market Update (Update 1)

The news is out, RIM had a blockbuster quarter selling 10.1 million handsets.  That’s a lot of Blackberries!  Apple, for it’s part sold 7.4 iPhones in 3Q 2009 and every Wall Street analyst is predicting the iPhone will breach the vaunted 10 million per quarter mark as well.  RIM and Apple’s success, quarter after quarter is not new and is no longer surprising.

We also know that the smartphone market as a whole is growing, at the expense of regular(proprietary) phones that access the internet, feature phones.  If you wondered why Samsung is creating it’s own platform called Bada, it’s obvious that feature phones are a dying breed.  This is made clear by the chart below.  In essence, it’s really unfair to call anything besides a major platform proprietary since major platforms are likely to be just as proprietary.  The only way to delineate further would be to label the major platforms, app. phones or platforms, since that is their only distinguishing feature.  All major platforms(listed in chart below) now feature a mobile application store.

So where does this leave us:

1. Windows Mobile/Windows Phone Market Share Eroding
   1. Unit Count Continues to Grow
   2. App Store is a Joke
2. Palm WebOS Devices Struggling
   1. No New Devices on Horizon
   2. Palm Pixi Slow Rumors are True!
   3. Sprint as Exclusive Carrier Hurts
      1. AT&T Started Selling WebOS Devices Recently
3. Android Targets Defacto Platform Status
   1. Unrivaled Platform Development & Smartphone Release Pace
   2. Android Marketplace hits 20K Application Milestone
4. RIM proves it, not Apple is #1
   1. People Want keyboards & Amazing Battery Life
   2. Retains Messaging Mission, Succeeds
   3. App Store is a Joke
   4. OS Needs Visual/Other Upgrades
5. Apple Needs to Sustain Momentum
   1. iPhone OS 4.0 Must be Stunning to keep Mindshare & Marketshare
   2. Hardware Must be Differentiated Going Forward
   3. Future Apple Tablet might make Apple lose “phone” focus
6. In Early Stages of Smartphone Market
   1. Room for every competitor to take market share
   2. Room for mistakes
   3. Room for Samsung Bada?
   4. Room for Whatever Is Coming at CES in January?

All metrics are courtesy of comScore.

Mobile CPU Clarity(Update 1)

Ever wonder why the Storm or iPhone 3G run relatively slow to more modern competition?   Want an easy way to compare current smartphone offerings? Here’s a cross-reference of a few smartphones, their CPUs, and the application processor core(s) used within them.  Keep in mind that most modern SoC(system-on-chip) CPUs integrate multiple dissimilar cores on the same die, but since general application performance is mostly determined by the application or general-purpose processor core, that’s all I’ve included below.  Other sites may state a different speed for each phone below but most phone manufacturers will underclock a CPU for power conservation.  Hence, only actual speeds are stated.  In general you will only see ARM 11 or Cortex A8 cores but since ARM licenses their microarchitecture to manufacturers, a cross reference sheet like the one below will allow you to know what application processor core is actually being used.  Columns for RAM and manufacturing process size were only included as respective ancillaries of application performance and energy efficiency.  While it’s obvious that all modern smartphones use the Cortex A8, I’m really looking forward to Cortex multi-core processors, namely the Cortex A9 in 2010.  As a side note, the introduction of multi-core Cortex-based application processors should provide a good foundation for Apple to finally allow concurrently running applications on the iPhone.

Phone	CPU	App. Proc. Core	Actual Speed	Element Size
Motorola Droid	TI OMAP 3430	ARM Cortex A8	550Mhz	65nm
Palm Pre	TI OMAP 3430	ARM Cortex A8	500Mhz	65nm
Apple iPhone 3GS	Samsung S5PC100	ARM Cortex A8	600Mhz	65nm
Apple iPhone 3G	Samsung S3C6400	ARM 11	412Mhz	90nm
Blackberry Bold (II) 9700	Marvell PXA930	ARM 11	624Mhz	65nm
Blackberry Storm	Qualcomm MSM7600	ARM 11 + ARM 9	400 + 274Mhz	90nm
Nokia N900	TI OMAP 3430	ARM Cortex A8	600Mhz	65nm
Acer Liquid A1	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250	ARM Cortex A8	768Mhz	65nm

Chrome Genesis

Mark this day, Wednesday November 11, 2009.  Today, we receive official visual detail about Google’s first Nettop/Netbook OS.  Here’s what we know about Chrome’s Genesis:

1. Writable Filesystem Area:  Buffer to Cloud Only
   1. Think no need for Any File Server
   2. All preferences Cloud-based
   3. All Local Data Encrypted
2. Process Separation
   1. All windows are separate processes
   2. All tabs separate processes
   3. Think Multi-Core Netbooks will be needed
3. Some sort of App. Store/Discovery will be available
4. File Type to Website Associations
5. Vast Majority of Filesystem Read-Only
6. OS & Drivers Maintained Automatically
   1. Similar to Windows Update
   2. Mac Like due to Restricted HCL(Hardware Compatibility List)
7. SSD Only Local Storage
8. Purposely Limited Hardware Support (i.e. NICs)
   1. Reference Designs Available
   2. Adherence Rules to Reference Design Unknown
9. As of Now a “companion device”
10. Plug-Ins Supported
11. No Other browsers supported(if that was a question)
12. Netbook Only Focus in 2010
13. Same functionality on ARM and x86
14. No OS-based Advertisements
15. Desktop Metaphor Semantically Replaced
    1. Desktop = Chrome Window
    2. Tab = Application

References:

Gizmodo:  Everything about Chrome OS

Wintel or Charm?

The inevitable has happened, after all these years of Wintel(Windows on Intel/x86 Hardware) dominance, the stage is being set for another defacto OS & hardware combination.   Since Windows is on 90%+ of the world’s PCs, the stakes are high and historically, no competitor has been able to break the barriers to entry imposed by Microsoft and Intel, legally or otherwise.  I won’t go into Windows’ previous competitors like OS X, Linux, Unix, or OS/2.  IT Publications are full of them, but here’s what they’re not full of, the name of the next legitimate competitor to Wintel, Charm.   Charm is Chrome OS on ARM Hardware.  Why do I think this poses a risk to the Wintel Empire?

1. Enables Cheaper Class of Netbook
   1. $100-$150 Netbooks(New)
   2. Windows XP/Vista/7 Doesn’t Run on ARM
      1. Exception:  Windows CE/Mobile/Phone maybe tactical answer for Microsoft
2. The product is from Google
   1. Has Industry Respect, Power, & Connections
   2. Unlike Linux Distributions
   3. Will Come Pre-Loaded
   4. Current Partners:  Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, HP, Lenovo, Qualcomm, TI
   5. Financial Might to Succeed
   6. Consumer Resonance
      1. Mind Share OS Fulfills Immediate Consumer Need
      2. Search & SAS(software-as-service) have  Substantial Userbase
3. OS is Everything you Need and Nothing you Don’t(for Common Users)
   1. OS Runs on Minimal Hardware
      1. Likely Dual-Core Cortex A9 CPUs in Q4 2010
   2. Browser-based GUI Familiar to Everyone
   3. Price is Right:  $0

Microsoft puts the “O” in OCUR

If you have a ATI Digital Cable Tuner(DCT) or follow the Green Button blog you know what’s required to make a PC-based set-top box yourself.  With the right hacks, it works.  Now, Microsoft has a totally hack free, 100% legitimate way to receive digital cable signals sans Clear QAM and IR blasters controlling an external, cable company provided, set-top box.  Microsoft’s answer is software-based and it’s titled the Digital Cable Advisor Tool(DCAT).  The tool doesn’t do as much advising as it does validating.  The software automates much of what Cable Labs performed with manual processes to validate use of a DCT(ATI’s is the only one available) for a specific PC setup.  Essentially the DCAT validates a protected audio video path(PAVP) for content from source to it’s final destination on your HDCP compliant display.  Unless you have the following though, don’t bother getting Windows 7 and the necessary hardware to use your HTPC with a DCT:

1. HDCP compliant Discrete or Integrated Video
   1. Recommended:  ATI Radeon 4350  (Streams PCM audio via HDMI 1.3; Passively cooled, Low Power)
2. HDCP compliant Video Driver
3. HDCP compliant Display/TV
4. OCUR Compliant DCT
   1. Recommended:  ATI TV Wonder DCT  (Internal(PCI-E) and External(USB) Versions Available)
   2. Potential Future Options in Q1 2010:  Hauppauge & Ceton DCTs
      1. Both are multistream capable
5. Single or MultiStream Cablecard from Cable Provider
6. 64bit Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate
   1. 64bit versions to address 4GB or more is highly recommended

In many ways, the promise implicit in an acronym like OCUR(Open Cable Unidirectional Receiver) never materialized due to to regulations around the testing of DCT equipped PCs, which can be done by Cable Labs only.  The DCAT finally allows the do-it-yourselfer to  do what big OEMs have been doing for some time, now with considerably less hassle.  OCUR now truely deserves the “O” it begins with.  In rare form, for me, thank you Microsoft. 

Reference:

theGreenButton’s Windows MediaCenter Team Blog

AnandTech’s Cable Chronicles

Your Next Netbook Spec, Courtesy of Microsoft (Update 2)

Microsoft has reigned in the netbook market, making it oh so easy for all of us to not worry about our future netbook spec.  Why, you ask?  Well, Microsoft in all it’s wisdom knows what’s best for it’s customers shareholders.  What’s best for its shareholders is a higher ASP(Average Selling Price) for Windows.  Initial plans for Windows 7 starter edition, like XP Starter Edition and Vista Starter Edition before it, was to cripple the operating systems ability to simultaneously run more than 3 foreground applications at once.  Microsoft ultimately decided not to limit multitasking capability, but yet decided to restrict the hardware on which OEMs can install Windows  7 Starter Edition.  Why limit the appeal of your own product?  So you can upsell to higher priced options like Windows 7 Home Premium. 

Windows 7 Starter Edition Hardware Limits:

1. Screen Size:  Up to 10.2 inches
2. SSD/HDD Size:  Up to 64/250 GB
3. RAM:  Up to 1GB
4. CPU Cores:  1
5. CPU Speed:  2GHz

The net market effect of Microsoft’s fiat is this:

1. A prevailing inventory of fairly high-end($400-$500) netbooks with Windows XP Home Edition & Windows 7 Home Premium, but not Windows 7 Starter Edition.
2. Microsoft’s choice to cripple mainstream netbooks(Sub $400) provides market share gaining opportunities for alternative OSs.

Microsoft executives readily concede their pricing faux pas with Windows XP on netbooks and want to take the release of Windows 7 as an opportunity to increase the ASP to traditional levels.  I personally don’t believe executives at Microsoft when they say pricing XP was a mistake, it was simply the best tactical response to the disruptive new computing category that is the netbook.  In hindsight, we may see Microsoft’s fiat power as the height of Wintel hegemony, but there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.  To this blogger, that light is ARM and Google.  I’ll elaborate in the next blog post.   

References:

Computer World:  Ballmer Confirms Windows 7 Restrictions for Netbooks

Newegg Inventory:  Netbooks with Windows 7