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Why Google taught developers how to hack Glass

At Google I/O 2013, Google gave a presentation called 'Voiding Your Warranty: Hacking Glass,' which will ultimately benefit Google as much as third-party developers.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Wed, 05/22/13 - 2:52pm.

Where end-users fear to tread, developers are called. Drawn to the challenge of rooting Android devices that would scare end-users, developers could not resist an invitation to the Google I/O session Voiding Your Warranty: Hacking Glass.

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Google's plan to make Android developers rich

At the 2013 Google I/O conference, the company addressed the problems with developing for Android - primarily that iOS developers are making a lot more money - and showed how it will help fix them.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Mon, 05/20/13 - 10:56am.

Google’s Android team was clear in its appeal to developers at Google I/O 2013: Google is here to give developers the tools to build better apps and make money in the process. Canalys recently reported that the Apple App Store produced 74% of all app revenue, a key issue for Google in appealing to developers whose business models rely on paid downloads and in-app purchases. Google has introduced improvements to the Developer Console to increase developer revenue.

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Meet 'Appcessories': Products that connect to your smartphone

Some of the market's most innovative 'appcessories,' which may become significantly more common in the next few years.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Wed, 05/15/13 - 2:44pm.

Appcessories are, essentially, devices that connect to a smartphone to make use of its features. Some of these resemble everyday items found in the Jetsons, while others, such as a smart basketball or a virtual reality headset, are groundbreaking in their own right.

The technology is progressing fast enough to draw attention from research firms, such as Canalys, which recently announced that it will make “appcessories” an official technology that it will follow as part of its research.

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What are 'appcessories' and why should we care about them?

This new category of mobile technology is starting to draw some attention from research firms in the sector.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Tue, 05/14/13 - 10:14am.

As society hurtles forward into the post-PC era, the smartphone will overtake the PC as the platform that connects the greater computing infrastructure with the non-computational. The difference is mobility: smartphones that are smaller than an iPod and have more power than PCs of just few years ago are able to connect with new types of low-cost devices. Some, like the Nike+ Fuelband, are well-known, while some are still in design and others have not yet been developed.

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New CEO Brian Krzanich could boost Intel's hopes in tablet market

How the two new executive announcements could help Intel improve its standing in the highly competitive tablet market.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Thu, 05/02/13 - 4:45pm.

Intel just announced that insider Brian M. Krzanich will be its next CEO, on the heels of yesterday’s IDC report showing a 142.4% year-over-year growth rate for the tablet market, in which Intel does not have a significant share.

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Facebook Home's slow first week is being blown out of proportion

If one is to compare Home to Instagram for Android, the right filter should be applied.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Tue, 04/23/13 - 10:35am.

There has been some discussion about the meaning of Facebook Home’s relatively slow first-week download performance. The results: 500,000 downloads in five days.

However, the largely negative sense around the first-week response doesn’t appear to be shared at Facebook. Last week, in response to questions about download targets for Home, Facebook's Engineering VP Cory Ondrejka indicated that the company would be looking at the download numbers in about six months.

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Android and Facebook Home work together, not competitively

How Facebook Home accomplishes its mobile goals without interfering with the Android user experience.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Thu, 04/18/13 - 5:04pm.

The notion that Facebook Home would smother Android and interfere with Google's services is completely unfounded. Gmail notifications pop through Home’s Coverfeed, Google’s notifications appear normally with a downward swipe, and Google Now can be accessed by pressing and holding the Home button.

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Intel's mobile transition struggles are Microsoft's advantage

As Intel continues developing high-quality PC components, Microsoft might be able to get Windows 8 off the ground.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Wed, 04/17/13 - 11:35am.

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Mobile commerce is more than just app purchases

The estimated $66 billion mobile economy is growing, both in revenue and diversity.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Thu, 04/11/13 - 2:13pm.

Reports of mobile app store revenues were once the entire measure of the rapidly changing mobile economy. But the displacement of desktop browsing with free mobile apps from established brands such as Amazon and disruptive new business models such as Uber make measuring the mobile economy more complex. Additional measures of the economic impact of free apps would be useful in painting a complete picture of the mobile economy.

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Facebook Home: How to launch a world-class mobile initiative

While the success of Facebook Home remains to be seen, the technical details behind the project serve as a study in world-class mobile development.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Mon, 04/08/13 - 2:57pm.

 

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A case for a Facebook/Android/HTC smartphone

Facebook doesn't necessarily need a phone, but with some help from others it could still benefit from one.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Tue, 04/02/13 - 4:07pm.

A developer and product management perspective needs to be added to the Facebook Phone debate. The concept of the Facebook Phone could be similar to the Google Nexus phone, which, since first being announced in 2010, has been updated by Google and co-branded with Samsung, LG and Asus. The Facebook Phone might even be categorized as the Anti-Nexus.

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Tizen is no Android, but will still play an important role

As it enters a highly competitive market, Tizen will need to find unique ways to make itself useful.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Thu, 03/28/13 - 2:17pm.

Tizen is clumsily positioned directly against Android and iOS. Its backers - Samsung, Intel, the Linux foundation, and a large community of open source developers with experience competing with and against market-leading OS platforms - are not that naive. Naïveté aside, Tizen can play an important role.

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No, Google will not merge Android and Chrome, for obvious reasons

Even before Google Chairman Eric Schmidt dispelled the rumors that Google would merge Android and Chrome, we should have known it was never going to happen.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Thu, 03/21/13 - 11:36am.

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Andy Rubin's departure is just part of Android's nature

The ultimate open source executive is moving on from Android at precisely the right time.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Wed, 03/20/13 - 4:08pm.

The open source community isn’t surprised that Andy Rubin has moved on from his post at the helm of Android. Just as so much great code has been repurposed to create Android, innovation principles have been repurposed by Google CEO Larry Page and the Google board that resulted in this change in Android’s leadership. It is not due to any failure on Rubin or Google’s part, as surmised elsewhere in the press, but rather due to their mutual success.

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3 features that make the Samsung Galaxy S 4 unique, innovative

Samsung's Galaxy S 4 will boast several new features, developed through partnerships, that could change the course of Android.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Fri, 03/15/13 - 9:31am.

Samsung introduced the first chapter of the Galaxy S4 last night at a highly publicized gala held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Galaxy S4 exceeded expectations. It is a full-featured phone with a 1080x1920 HD AMOLED display and 32 or 64GB of storage and up to 64GB of additional storage using a microSD.

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Apple's Schiller criticizes Android: The pot calls the kettle black

An unusual move by Apple's marketing head is ironic, because many of his complaints could be directed at Apple, too.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Thu, 03/14/13 - 9:33am.

Apple’s senior vice president of marketing Phil Schiller tried to make the case last night to the Wall Street Journal that Android users "suffer in part because different elements come from multiple companies." Really Phil?

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What to expect at Samsung's Galaxy S4 event

Some speculation on the Galaxy S4 announcement, based on what Samsung has done in recent years.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Tue, 03/12/13 - 9:58am.

Many are attempting to guess what will happen at Samsung’s big Galaxy S4 announcement this Thursday in New York. So far, none of the guesses appear to have the substance of really big news. Samsung has more in common with Apple in its ability to keep a secret. Like Apple, Samsung really only competes with itself. In guessing what will be unpacked at Thursday’s big announcement, one should first look to Samsung's past.

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Samsung's Knox should have Apple worried about the enterprise

By applying secure technology to its flagship Android devices, Samsung just made its devices more appealing to the enterprise.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Thu, 02/28/13 - 2:29pm.

Samsung’s Knox, the secure enterprise enhancements to its Android devices, is not unique, but it is brilliant nevertheless. Market dominance, control over mobile hardware, and Android’s open source model made this a straightforward development for Samsung that should pay dividends. It could even create a contagion of secure Android products from other Android device manufacturers.

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Google Glass: A lot of hype, but little information

With Google ramping up its Project Glass publicity efforts, it's time to connect the dots on the information we do have about the high-tech eye-wear.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Mon, 02/25/13 - 11:17am.

The media hype of Google Glass is on the rise. Sightings of Google employees wearing Google Glass are no longer unusual in Silicon Valley and at key trade events. Google has dialed up the public exposure of Google Glass without releasing much technical information. It appears, though, that Google is ramping up public awareness even more as it prepares to ship as many as 8,000 Google Glass units later this year.

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Why Android 4.2.2 is an important update

With Google's IO conference just around the corner, the updates in this week's Android 4.2.2 release probably could have waited for Key Lime Pie. But Android 4.2.2 is an important step for Android development.
Submitted by Steve Patterson on Thu, 02/21/13 - 3:35pm.

Google released Android 4.2.2 for the Nexus 4, 7 and 10 this week. Some devices have already received over-the-air updates. Compared to Android 4.2.1, is there really anything important in this incremental release? With Google’s annual developer’s conference Google IO scheduled just 82 days from now, when Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is anticipated to be announced, why would Google interrupt its course for an incremental release? Who should care?

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