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Monday, February 18, 2013

What's wrong with Android?

and why 2.3 is still the most popular version

James Rosewell writes:

8 months ago I moved my main smartphone from Android (Nexus One and Android 2.3 [Gingerbread]) to Windows Phone (Nokia Lumia 800). I had entered a simpler world. There were less applications (noticeably Audible), no tethering option, voice dictation sucked with no option to install a 3rd party and it only worked for text messages and not emails, and I couldn’t get a multi-SIM device. But overall I survived. Every day things like opening my contacts list and email were quick and smooth. I loved the integration with Twitter and LinkedIn. The “Nokia Drive” navigation system is simplicity itself. 6 months ago Audible appeared (minus the feature to control playback speed), and an upgrade arrived to include tethering. But no multi SIM and I was travelling more. I therefore moved back to Android a few weeks ago, specifically a Samsung Galaxy S DUOS running Android 4.0 [Ice Cream Sandwich].

What a disappointment. The DUOS shouldn't be a slouch with its dual-core processor and 2GB memory expanded to 34GB. CPU-wise it’s a higher spec than the Lumia 800. But simple tasks take seconds, and I've got used to better. I don’t want to wait for my email to appear or to search my contacts lists. And worse, features have been removed compared to my previous Android 2.3 device. I can’t install applications onto the expansion memory card! CoPilot, for example, downloads maps to the phone. But it’ll only allow them to be installed on the internal memory. 2GB soon gets swallowed up with a few European maps.

On a more positive note I can control the reading speed with Audible and Nuance’s voice dictation has got even better getting 3 out of 4 short text messages or emails correct first time including punctuation.

Maybe these issues with supposedly more advanced versions of Android explain why 2.3 remains the most popular version in the wild. 51Degrees.mobi Mobile Analytics shows Android 2.3 holding 38.6% of web usage share.

Percentage share of web traffic from different Android versions globally. Source 51Degrees.mobi Mobile Analytics.

I’m reminded of dear old Symbian and my Nokia N95. I loved that phone. Excellent camera, tethering, downloadable applications, web access, dedicated music buttons, expandable memory. The mutts nuts until I played with the iPhone and it all seemed so poor. Take the touch screen away and feature-wise the N95 and first iPhone were pretty identical. But the iPhone was so much slicker and easier to use. In many ways Symbian was exposed as hard to use, taking 2 or 3 times as many interactions to achieve the same task.

Android’s flexibility enabling vendors to tweak, alter and adapt it so easily could ultimately be its biggest weakness. Certainly Android 4 as deployed by Samsung on the DUOS is poor compared to the previous generation of Windows Phone and Android 2.3.

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Opinion Articles

Last week at The Fonecast: 11th February 2013

WiFi goes on the attack

Mark Bridge writes:

Mobile networks aren’t what they used to be. As last week’s interview with Vince Russell of The Cloud demonstrated, more and more customers are relying on WiFi to augment their mobile data service.

Truphone is now planning to do exactly the same with voice calls and text messages by linking its mobile network with WiFi for even wider coverage.

Author: The Fonecast
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Last week at The Fonecast: 4th February 2013

Goodbye RIM, hello BlackBerry

Mark Bridge writes:

Apple launches a new product and BlackBerry pushes it out of the headlines. Who’d have thought it, eh?

Yes, Apple’s new $799 128GB iPad didn’t get much of a mention in the mobile press last week - thanks to the new BlackBerry 10 platform and two new smartphones. Memories of Stephen Bates’s awkward BBC interviews were soon forgotten as the touchscreen Z10 appeared and quickly hit the shelves of UK retailers.

Author: The Fonecast
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HTC smartphones are too good

HTC smartphones are too good

Causing HTC a serious headache

James Rosewell writes:

During December 2012 in the United States the HTC Evo 4G contributed 20% of web traffic from HTC devices. What is remarkable about this figure is that the HTC Evo 4G was first released in June 2010 and is almost three years old.

The HTC One series of devices were released during 2012 and contributed less than 10% of HTC’s web traffic in the same month.

Are HTC devices released pre-2012 too good at browsing the web?

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Future smart devices will extend our senses

Faiza Elmasry of voanews.com writes:

Imagine shopping for clothes online and being able to run your hand across the screen on your computer or smartphone to feel the fabrics. That kind of simulation technology could be available within the next five years.

Author: The Fonecast
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Discover the secrets of mobile innovation at The Mobile Academy in London

Mark Bridge writes:

Developing a successful mobile product or service isn’t just a question of having a great idea. There are all sorts of challenges, from the technical aspects of application development to the wider issues of branding and funding.

That’s where The Mobile Academy steps in. It’s a London-based mobile masterclass designed to give you a helping hand with innovation, whether you’re an entrepreneur, a business owner, a developer or a designer.

Author: The Fonecast
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