We’ve got a tradition in India where a newbie has to give an “intro” to his peers and colleagues at a new school or workplace, and answer any question as truthfully as possible. And since I’ve just joined the Phandroid team as a weekend blogger, I thought it’s only fair that I bring it here.

So, here I go. I’m a Computer Science undergrad student in India and spend quite a bit of my time developing Android apps and websites (though my primary interest is in UI design).

 Phone: T-Mobile myTouch 4G running CM7

Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Favorite Apps:

1. Pulse Reader: A must for anyone who reads a ton of blogs. I love the UI, and the effort that they’re putting into Pulse Me such as synchronizing sources across devices and the desktop browser extension makes it stand out.
2. Any.Do: I don’t make many to-do lists, so I can’t be certain that this is the best option for a power-user. What made me chose this is an excellent UI  and a good widget. Plus the fact it was Android-first.
3. AirDroid: This app is always on in the background when I’m working on my PC, primarily for sending and receiving texts from my browser and for transferring files to my phone.

Favorite Games:

1. Great Little War Game: An extremely addictive strategy game. The only blemish is how much battery it seems to consume.
2. Homerun Battle HD: I really enjoy the online gameplay, though I don’t spend too much time on it. Add “rb6teen” to your rivals list if you’d like to take me on.

The Geekiest Moment of my life:

When I bumped into Matias Duarte, Android’s Director of User Experience, at a TechCrunch party during my trip to the Bay Area last July.

As for you’re questions, just put them below in the comments, and I’ll try to reply to each over the weekend. You can also follow me on Google+ here.

Android Phone Fans

It had been quite a long wait for the official Wikipedia app to land on the Android Market. Barely two weeks after launch, it has racked up over 500,000 downloads with a 4.5 star average rating. And now, the team behind the app has posted a blog describing the development process.

The most interesting bit to note is the use of PhoneGap, the web-technologies based cross-platform development tool. Such tools have seen a rise in popularity because of the ability to target multiple platforms with the same code.

"Rather than diving into proprietary frameworks and SDKs, our application has been built on the same foundation as the open mobile web. And not only does this allow us to prepare for the future, it also accelerates our ability to develop across numerous platforms.

Within a short amount of time we’ve already developed a testing version of our iOS app with PhoneGap and we’ve established our first complete community port to the BlackBerry PlayBook. This demonstrates the power of using open tools and communities to improve the Internet as a whole and it is a critical component to our long term goals."

Many have argued that apps built using web technologies are no match for those built natively. Yet, despite having dabbled with PhoneGap quite a bit myself, I only learnt of its use by the Wiki team upon reading the blog post. Adobe bought PhoneGap’s parent company, Nitobi, last fall prior to announcing the end of mobile Flash.

Do you think Wikipedia’s use of PhoneGap foreshadows a shift towards open web-based technologies in favor of natively built apps?

Android Phone Fans

Google has filed an application with the FCC for a 6-month permission to test a home entertainment system involving WiFi and Bluetooth enabled devices. While I don’t quite understand all the legal-speak, it seems quite clear that the system has to do with Android@Home, which was announced at Google I/O 2011. You can find the application here.

Please explain in the area below why an STA is necessary: 

Google is developing an entertainment device that requires testing outside the laboratory environment. The device is in the prototyping phase and will be modified prior to final compliance testing.

Please explain the purpose of operation: 

Testing throughput and stability of home WiFi networks using an entertainment device. Testing will include functional testing of all subsystems, including WiFi and Bluetooth radio. Users will connect their device to home WiFi networks and use Bluetooth to connect to other home electronics equipment. This line of testing will reveal real world engineering issues and reliability of networks.

What do you think said “entertainment device(s)” will include? With Android@Home, Android Open Accessory, and Google TV yet to make a huge splash, it could be Google I/O 2012 where physical products, accessories, and readily available apps and games make their first appearances. What do you think Google is dreaming up?

Android Phone Fans

Many of you might have heard about PandoDaily, a new tech blog that was launched on the 16th of January by Sarah Lacy, a former TechCrunch writer. One particular article caught my attention, primarily because of it’s title: How Google can save Android: Close it. License it. Swim in the Profits.

The writer, Farhad Manjoo, isn’t the first person to make the suggestion, and he most certainly isn’t going to be the last. Many have used the example of Amazon’s Kindle Fire and other such Android forks to suggest that Google’s strategy is back-firing. To his credit, the article doesn’t come off as an Apple fanboy mocking Android as many such posts do, and has offered some decent ideas.

But I must admit, right from the beginning the article seemed to miss the bigger picture. And that seems to be the case with all journalists, especially since Apple’s outstanding quarterly results which have put Google’s "failures" in the spotlight.

Google’s main competition isn’t Apple. It’s Facebook.

Google’s business, at this point, is advertising. And the most important resource for it’s business is information. It’s the same thing with Facebook. Google and Facebook are, as such, competing for the same pie. Apple, on the other hand, is a hardware company. It’s profits come almost entirely from the huge margins it has on all of its devices.

For Google to take on Apple in terms of profits and revenues, it has to virtually pivot itself into a consumer electronics company. Admittedly, the purchase of Motorola speeds things up a bit, but with Moto struggling it would be a long, hard struggle to reach the required level.

"Closing" Android will only make a bigger mess

This is where Manjoo gets it wrong almost entirely. While in theory it would increase Google’s earnings from Android, it’s an extremely short-sighted option.

The move would hit the wrong note with the developer community who have flocked around Android because of its open nature. Additionally, it’s going to give all those who have already (unfairly) questioned Android’s open sourced nature a chance to say "I Told You So".

Also, the quoted amounts in Manjoo’s arguments are just plain wrong. The $ 25-30 amount for a Windows Phone license is what ZTE say they’re being charged. While there’s no confirmation about it, most believe the major manufacturers like Samsung and HTC pay about $ 15/device for a license. Considering they already pay about $ 5/device to Microsoft, a $ 10 charge from Google removes the current monetary benefit that comes with Android. And knowing MS, they’d probably reduce the amount they charge to push WP7 forward.

Who’s to say manufacturers won’t create their own forked versions of Android from the ICS code? They’ve already invested heavily in their own custom skins, they might just decide to use their current code as a base for their own operating systems, say Sense OS or TouchWiz OS.

Closing Android could actually cost Google

Manjoo quotes that Google makes $ 6-10 per user per year in mobile ad revenue based on a study. While I have my doubts about it, I’ll agree to it for the argument’s sake.

If closing Android results in more forks, it gives Microsoft a big opportunity to throw money at the manufacturers to put Bing as the default search engine on their devices. So not only does Android lose significant marketshare as a direct result, it ends up costing Google $ 6-10 per user, per year in revenue. They would need to sell as many licenses as the Bing-ed Android forks just to maintain status quo.

Additionally, we must keep in mind that mobile advertising is still in its infancy. It might not be as profitable as desktop ads right now, but more and more money is coming in as businesses shift their focus to mobile-users themselves.

The Kindle Fire has proved to be a boon for Android Tablets

As you might have read recently, Android tablets now enjoy a 39% marketshare. And a lot of the credit goes to the Kindle Fire. While it isn’t the "real" Android, it still puts a dent in the iPad’s success.

Manufacturers like Asus have also learnt their lessons, and as a price war starts, I expect to see a number of a good options in the $ 200-300 range this year. As a result, we could quite possibly see Android and iOS having an equal share in the tablet market by this time next year, which would be quite a feat considering where we were just a few months ago.

So what do you think: does Google really need to “save Android”? And either way, how do you feel about Manjoo’s suggestions to close off our beloved open OS?

Android Phone Fans

You can expect Sony to announce even more new Xperia devices at Mobile World Congress as they are sending out invitations to members of the press. Not even a month ago, Sony unveiled new phones at CES in the Xperia S and the Xperia Ion, the first phones to drop the Ericsson branding due to Sony swallowing up the mobile side of their partnership. Sony’s invite specifically mentions Xperia so we can at least expect them to show off phones and hopefully tablets. We wouldn’t hold our breath for any Google TV devices considering Mobile World Congress is about, well, mobile. We’ll be there to bring you all the coverage.

Android Phone Fans

Samsung and Corning have announced a joint partnership that will see the two working together to manufacture Lotus Glass. It’s a tempered glass for OLED displays, not unlike Gorilla Glass, that will help save on power consumption and make displays look as good as they ever have. This rings true not only for mobile devices but televisions, as well.

Samsung will use the new glass substrate on their devices but they will also offer it to other Korean manufacturers. It’s not clear whether or not Samsung will go beyond their home turf borders but we hope every OEM gets a chance to use this promising technology. We’re not sure which devices are first in line but you know we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that the Samsung Galaxy S III is in line. Read on for full press details.

February 02, 2012 08:00 AM Eastern Time
Corning and Samsung Mobile Display Form New OLED Glass Venture

New business expands Corning’s long-standing collaboration with Samsung

CORNING, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) and Samsung Mobile Display Co., Ltd. have signed an agreement to establish a new equity venture for the manufacture of specialty glass substrates for the rapidly expanding organic light emitting diode (OLED) device market. The new business will be located in Korea.

“Samsung Mobile Display has led the global display industry by constantly seeking innovations and challenging current technologies’ limits. We are confident that combining our business powers with Corning’s technology leadership will deliver greater value to our clients”

Combining Corning’s Lotus™ Glass substrate technology and Samsung Mobile Display’s OLED display expertise, this new entity will be well-positioned to provide outstanding product solutions for current and future OLED technologies, from handheld and IT devices to large TVs and beyond.

The newly formed entity will supply OLED backplane glass substrates for Samsung Mobile Display, as well as for the broader Korean market.

According to a recent NPD DisplaySearch report, OLED technology advanced rapidly in 2011, setting a trend that is forecasted to continue through this decade. They estimate that OLED display revenues will exceed $ 4 billion in 2011 (approximately 4% of flat panel display revenues), and will reach more than $ 20 billion (approximately 16% of the total display industry) by 2018.

Samsung is playing a leading role in this emerging market through its Galaxy mobile device products and Super OLED TV technology introduced in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Corning’s ongoing advanced glass technology development includes a strong focus on high-performance displays. Most recently, this focus has been demonstrated through Corning’s new Lotus™ Glass substrates, which deliver the higher processing temperatures and improved dimensional stability needed to produce the new high performance displays.

“Samsung Mobile Display has led the global display industry by constantly seeking innovations and challenging current technologies’ limits. We are confident that combining our business powers with Corning’s technology leadership will deliver greater value to our clients,” said Soo In Cho, Samsung Mobile Display’s president and chief executive officer.

“Corning and Samsung have a long and successful partnership in the display industry, dating back nearly 40 years to the early days of television,” said Wendell P. Weeks, Corning’s chairman, chief executive officer, and president. “The strength of our business relationship is built on Corning’s ability to develop and make high-technology glass with the key attributes that enable Samsung’s next-generation displays. Together, we have led the evolution of displays – from the high-growth years of CRT, to our current successful business supplying world-leading substrates for today’s high-definition LCD TVs, and now to the launch of this important new venture to advance OLED technology,” Weeks stated.

Android Phone Fans

Sony unveiled the first members of their 2012 handset lineup back at CES, emphasizing the Xperia Ion for AT&T and its international brother the Xperia S. In The phone will be released with a set of features catering to the needs of Japanese mobile users as the Xperia NX, which has been announced for a February 24th launch on NTT DoCoMo. It should be among the first of Sony’s latest to reach consumers — the Xperia S launches a few weeks later — yet it looks to maintain Sony Ericsson branding. Sony is currently in the process of acquiring Ericsson and assuming complete control of mobile operations and has been showcasing their new line with Sony logos only (pending regulatory approval). The Xperia NX will go on pre-order February 10th.

[via AndroidCentral]

Android Phone Fans

The US government is ready to start handing out Android smartphones to high-ranking officials and soldiers stationed throughout the world, according to new reports. We’ve heard plenty of chatter over the past year or so about the government’s interest in deploying devices running Google’s mobile OS for military use, and, the powers that be have signed off on our favorite green robot’s enlistment forms. The decision came after Google’s biggest mobile competitor, Apple, denied government officials access to iOS source code. Android became an obvious choice due to the platform’s openness and the ability for a third-party to alter the operating system’s code. This has allowed for the government to create their own custom version of Android that meets stringent security standards and allows for the transmittal of classified information.

Much work has been done testing specific applications and analyzing the sorts of data transmitted. Researchers found that many apps often ask for permissions excessive of what they actually need to function. Government-issued Android devices will allow users to see exactly what information is being sent and then decline the transmission of that data. The goal is to provide a strong layer of security while still allowing those with the devices to enjoy a casual game such as Angry Birds during down time.

The devices will be used to relay sensitive information and aid in communications between officials high on the political scale as well as soldiers in theaters of combat. Using the secure smartphones our men and women on the frontline will be able to communicate their position and better organize their military movements.

Oh, and the real kicker? One contractor working on the project has revealed that new Android OS updates will be pushed to government-grade devices in as little as two weeks. With a streamlined approval process, once software has been appropriately modified it will be fast-tracked to deployed smartphones. We’d like to see any carrier or manufacturer top that.

[via CNN | Thanks, Fort!]

Android Phone Fans

Motorola and Woot are warning that some refurbished XOOM tablets were not completely wiped of older user data before being sold through the daily deal website. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds. Motorola is estimating that only about 100 out of 6,200 WiFi-only XOOM tablets sold between October and December of 2011 were not completely cleared of their previous owners data. The issues is obviously a concern for anyone who returned a XOOM tablet before that period, and while the chance of any particular previous owner’s data being present on a refurbished device is slim, Motorola is making an effort to make things right. Every customer that returned their XOOM between March and October is being offered a free two-year subscription to Experian’s ProtectMyID Alert to monitor any potential fraud that could arise from stolen personal data.

In addition, Woot and Motorola are asking that any purchaser of a refurbished XOOM return the device to Motorola to completely remove any data leftover from the tablet’s previous life. Motorola will, of course, cover all shipping costs.

Motorola can’t be happy about the slip up, but the company is doing all the right things to mitigate the negative impact of the news. With only a 1.6 percent chance that a returned tablet will still have older user data, the majority of potentially affected customers can rest easy. More details can be found at the link below.

[via Motorola | Thanks to all who sent this in!]

Android Phone Fans

UPDATE: The Android Team’s Dan Morrill has posted an explanation for the removal of the Galaxy Nexus and other CDMA devices from the official developer support page. This has nothing to do with Google Wallet (we never thought it did) and everything to do with the way the Android code is compiled for CDMA devices. In short, if a dev were to simply compile the pure AOSP source code for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus the build would be lacking in full telephony functionality. Google still plans to support the devices directly via software updates.

A quick visit to the Android developer support page reveals some startling news. It appears as if Google is dropping the “developer device” tag of once-listed CDMA models. The Samsung Nexus S 4G, Verizon’s Motorola XOOM, and even the LTE Galaxy Nexus have disappeared from the site, leaving us with a note explaining exactly which versions of these devices will be supported moving forward. For the XOOM, only the “wingray” WiFi-only version of the slate gets developer designation. The GSM “crespo” version of the Nexus S also retains support. For the Galaxy Nexus, the GSM/HSPA+ “maguro” build is supported, but only if it originally shipped with the “yakju” build of Android 4.0.

We can speculate as to exactly why Google has decided against the inclusion of CDMA developer devices, but the fact that Sprint’s Nexus S 4G didn’t make the cut should silence those ready to blame Verizon and Google’s past disagreements about Google Wallet. In reality, Google is likely looking to simply streamline support and GSM tends to be the more global-ready network technology. CDMA devices function on a very limited portion of the globe’s cellular networks (despite Verizon and Sprint, two of the world’s largest carriers, both utilizing CDMA).

Does the removal of these devices from the developer support page mean they won’t be treated to the quick Android software version updates typically associated with the Nexus line? We get the feeling OS updates will still reach these devices just as quickly, if only due to their stock user interfaces. It’s hard to imagine Google neglecting any member of their Nexus family, lest they want to send mixed signals. And we’re not looking to have our hearts toyed with like that.

[via DroidLife]

Android Phone Fans