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You will see a lot of references to Linux at our site, as it is the future of PC's (sorry Microsoft!), but we realize that it is not for everyone. All systems are available with MS Windows, or Linux
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| 2011-09-05 - What's in a name? | | Posted by admin. | 
What's in a name?
Everything, that's all. Microsoft is about to prove that. Mango IS Windows Phone 7 (WP7), make no mistake. Microsoft is about to flood the market with phones that will actually compete with iOS and Android. Recent stats show that Microsoft's total market share is down from about 9% late last year to about 5.5% now. Keep in mind that includes ALL Windows phones, Windows Mobile 6.x and WP7. Currently WP7 itself has about 1% of the market. Ouch. It's ironic that 1% is pretty much the (desktop) Linux marketshare... HP has abandoned WebOS, and it's future isn't clear, though it won't be a player for a year or two, even if it does find a benefactor (Samsung denies rumors that they were interested). Symbian is still the largest OS worldwide, but that is a misleading stat, as most phones are NOT smartphones, and Symbian is not for smartphones; it's share is dropping fast, and smartphone's are replacing feature phones in all markets. Apple? Well, it's hard to fathom, but they lost 1% market share over the last quarter, although that will likely turn around when they release the iPhone 4S, and the iPhone5 in the next few weeks. Also, RIM (Blackberry) is losing market share, and, unlike Apple, there is no turnaround for them in sight, as they won't swallow their pride and make a proper smartphone. No, they just keep making Blackberry's more "smartphone-like".
That means that Android is the only mobile OS that is actually gaining market share at this time. Apple will roar back in the next quarter, though Android will continue to outpace iOS. That leaves room for Mango, and I think that the next quarter or so, through the Chistmas season, OEM's like HTC and LG will drop a litter of Mango's. Samsung has said that they are planning to release Microsoft-based phones as well, but the volume (and marketing push) will likely be nothing like HTC and LG. Samsung is sailing along happily on the rising tide of Android, and their own, in-house Bada (also Linux-based) will be developed as a contingent replacement for Android, running TouchWiz. HTC may be cowed by Microsoft into paying a "license" fee to run Android (they claim Linux abuses patents they hold, though NO proof has ever been forthcoming), Samsung will not fall for that (prosecutors call it extortion), and if Microsoft should ever produce a legit patent claim, Bada will be a direct drop-in, it even looks exactly like Android. Motorola is the biggest question, at least with regard to phones running Mango. Will Google eighty-six any Mango prototypes in the R&D pipeline? If any are near the gate, will they be released? Keep an eye on Googarola, the next coming months may be interesting...
Analysts will all say that Mango fixes several real problems of WP7, and that's why it will sell phones, but we all know that Mango is just WP7, service pack 1. Now, it's Mango! Who wants a phone with Microsoft Windows Phone 7NF (now fixed)? No, it's not WP7NF, it's Mango!!! It's... marketing. Mango is a term that HTC, LG, Samsung, and maybe Motorola can push to buyers. It'll look great on those color fliers in the sunday paper, and flashy commercials on TV. I can see it now, tropical themes, reggae music, folks dancing around on sunlit sandy beaches, drinks with bright little umbrellas on the tables next to the new HTC Surfboard, Now With Mango!!! Or how about the new LG Islander, running Mango!
"Gee, Mango's gotta be better than Windows Phone 7!"
(face-palm)
  
| | 2009-11-04 - Android, Smartphones, and... AT&T? | | Posted by admin. |
Android, Smartphones, and... AT&T?
Most people complain about AT&T's (3G) coverage, Customer Service, or their rates. I actually have a VERY sweet deal with AT&T, so I'm not going to complain about any of that. The problem that I have is that they are absolutelty married to the iPhone, and will not offer any Andriod (Linux) smartphones. At least until later this year, maybe 2010. Thankfully we can make our own choice, and buy an unlocked phone. That is exactly what I did. Now I'm too cheap to spend $500-600 on a new one, so I bought an HTC (T-Mobile) G1 from eBay, unlocked it, and popped in my AT&T SIM card. T-Mobile's 3G uses a different band than AT&T, so the cellular network is limited to EDGE, but I'm actually cool with that, for now. The G1 is available with the right radio, from Rogers (Canada), but it costs about $300-400. I paid $150 for my T-mobile unit. This will tide me over until AT&T offers their own Android phone, or I can buy another unlocked phone with the right radio, at something like $200.
The beauty of Android is that it's Open Source, so I can change the particular version that comes with the phone, if I want. I fully intended to run Cyanogen's Hero ROM on this phone, but I haven't done that, yet. I may not do it at all. My G1 came with bone-stock (1.5) Cupcake. On the second day, as I was boning up on flashing ROM's, Google sent me Donut (1.6) Over-The-Air. Wow! I was really surprised, since I didn't get the phone through T-Mobile. I had assumed that the OTA updates came from Google, but they actually come from the OEM. Donut does everything I need, and the performance is very, very good. The Hero builds can run fairly snappy if you take all the right steps, but the Hero UI was developed for phones that have more internal ROM for the OS. The G1 was the 1st Google phone and it's limited to 192MB (internal). Although Donut was also developed for 288MB ROM phones, it was repackaged for the G1 by Google, and it works as if it was intended for it all along. We will have to wait and see if Eclair (2.0) will get the same treatment (I think it will). In the meantime I'm happy to toddle along with Donut.
Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, anybody else hungry?
  
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