Android 2.3 Platform(developer.android.com) |
Android 2.3 Platform(developer.android.com) |
Really neat how they are dogfooding and collecting metrics on performance from all the employees walking around with dev builds.
"Support for the platform's SIP and internet calling features on specific devices is determined by their manufacturers and associated carriers."
This is disappointing, but not unexpected.
A phone OS which allows the networks to be totally supplanted wouldn't be marketed positively (by the networks).
This is so backwards that it hurts. A Network which wont support the latest and greatest phones with the most awesome features will lose out customers.
Around here where I live (Europe) you chose the phone you want and you chose the plan which fits your needs. Two entirely different and disconnected things.
I can't believe you Americans let the telcos boss you around like that. Didn't you believe in freedom of choice, and all that? Why do you put up with this? Vote with your wallets. Pay whoever gives you choice. Don't let Apple's (or Google's) latest shiny toy fool you into choosing serfdom, just because it's (currently) only available on a few (or one) carrier.
Where I live, the iPhone was launched (US-style) exclusive to one operator. This is totally Alien here, with a capitol-A. People had to go to a lower-quality network operator to get the first iPhone 3G. The market didn't like this, data heavy users didn't like going to a network with a reputation for being sucky on data. They waited it out.
Voila. More operators got it, because Apple figured they could sell more by not being exclusive. It's not that hard.
I'm finding more and more people outside of tech-circles are doing this as it allows you to run WifTether, extra apps, etc.
Those "Mobile Phone Repair Shops" that used to unlock Nokias are doing a roaring trade rooting and changing firmware on 'regular' user's phones.
iPhones and such have long had the ability to drive PC-based instruments by sending MIDI or OSC signals through bluetooth or wifi, I have been to many gigs in the last year and seen people using iPads running touchOSC in their performance setups; however the high specs seen in current devices are easily enough to run fullblown synths, samplers etc on their own. This will open up the burgeoning art of musicians creating their own instruments to a much wider audience.
We're going to be hearing some pretty fun noises over the next year :)
http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.3-highlights.html
* Alarm clock APIs
* ability to detect first install time and last update time of an app
* Download manager API
* Mixable audio effects API
* A lot more locales (including indic language support)
* SIP VOIP support
* Front camera support
* 5-point multi-touch API
* Barometer
* Gyroscope
* NFC support (near field comminucation) - can interact using high frequency wireless communication with other stuff with NFC chips. Wikipedia has a pic of a phone interacting with a smart poster.
Can anyone throw some more light on NFC stuff and also why does a phone need a barometer?
SIP-based VOIP
Or are you talking about the many clones that re-sell it in the Market--which they can do because it's open source?
I am aware that it's open source, which is what makes it so frustrating that this has happened to it.
I hope that somebody does do as you suggest, but it won't be me, at least not in the next several months. That doesn't mean I'm happy with the current state of things.
Doesn't this preclude using your phone as an NFC payment device (which would be transmit, not receive)?
Can someone confirm if I'm parsing this correctly:
"An NFC Reader application lets the user read and interact with near-field communication (NFC) tags. For example, the user can “touch” or “swipe” an NFC tag that might be embedded in a poster, sticker, or advertisement, then act on the data read from the tag. A typical use would be to read a tag at a restaurant, store, or event and then rate or register by jumping to a web site whose URL is included in the tag data. NFC communication relies on wireless technology in the device hardware, so support for the platform's NFC features on specific devices is determined by their manufacturers."
Provides access to Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality, allowing applications to read NDEF message in NFC tags. A "tag" may actually be another device that appears as a tag.
Here's a summary of the classes:
NfcAdapter - This represents the device's NFC adapter, which is your entry-point to performing NFC operations. You can acquire an instance with getDefaultAdapter().
NdefMessage - Represents an NDEF data message, which is the standard format in which "records" carrying data are transmitted between devices and tags. Your application can receive these messages from an ACTION_TAG_DISCOVERED intent.
NdefRecord - Represents a record, which is delivered in a NdefMessage and describes the type of data being shared and carries the data itself.
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/nfc/package-d...
This looks familiar...
http://www.christian-kalmar.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/i...
http://techcrunch.com/2010/01/27/think-ibooks-looks-familiar...
Remember most telcos a while ago removing the unlimited data plan? And apple forcing skipe to only using wifi on all platforms.
Truth that google allowed work arounds for being evil this time... you could use sip with the buggy sip app. And you could even get free sip from google voice if you had an old gizmoproject account.
I doubt this is some conspiracy between Google and the telcos. It's more of a collection of unrelated events that happened to occur around the same time. AT&T wanted more money (around iPad launch), so they capped the data plan. Apple said, "sure, OK", so AT&T didn't risk losing any customers. The other carriers noticed the lack of backlash, and here we are...
Unless you send a android user agent, then it changes most of the css to enable it. Really a dumb move
and that's even bad while viewing in the desktop. if you increase the font, if increase the header, to the point the header uses most of the screen space!!! how wants to see the header?!?
just don't use the header/sidebar fixed like that. it just breaks the browser scroll functionality. in every browsers.
But I guess the phone can just get this information from the Internet. (Or it can just set itself to 29.92 if the GPS says you're above 18,000 feet!)
All this technology and I bet its primary use will be to check into conference rooms on foursquare.
Being rooted allows the app to provide the same functionality without needing to check the carrier setting.
It's the killer app of being rooted. Unless you are on AT&T in SF or NY in which case your network is probably hosed anyway
Essentially because we're really bad at math. $500 for a phone is completely unacceptable, but hiding the cost in inflated monthly rates is just peachy.
Vote with your wallets.
I ordered the Nexus One the day after it was announced; unfortunately I was heavily outvoted.
The carrier exclusivity, restrictions, and crapware are annoying, but in most cases it's not irritating enough to convince someone to pay $300 more for the same thing.
T-mobile is the only one who doesn't markup its prices for contracts used with unsubsidized phones. Where, "subsidized", means subsidized by the customer. The other carriers charge you the same extra phone subsidy fee (in effect), regardless of whether you bought the phone at full or "discounted" price, so there is no incentive to buy a phone at full price.
I agree that this is a consumer hostile model. T-mobile seems to have the best offer, where they let you make multiple payments on a full price phone (at no markup I believe).
Subsidized phones are very popular in Europe, but the phone doesn't really enter the equation when choosing a network.
I actually think Europeans are cheaper than Americans ... over here people choose networks based on reliability and monthly bill, which is influenced by included minutes or bandwidth / area or demographic popularity (since voice minutes in the same network are cheaper).
I also have an iPhone, and in my country iPhones are still exclusive to a single carrier. But I did what every one of my acquaintances did ... bought one with a cheap monthly contract for 199 EUR; then unlocked it. And I didn't even pay my last 2 monthly bill (haven't used it, so I felt like it was unneeded); so they can sue me, but I don't really care because lock-in is not seen favorably in Europe and they've got customers with actual debts to worry about.
Of course, I wouldn't give this advice to other people ... just saying that the phone doesn't enter the equation; and the marketing campaigns are reflecting that.
Also, this happens every year. Once a year passes, you're eligible for a new subsidy of X12 euros.
[1] I'm not at all sure if the multiplier is as much as 12, but it's at least 6. The main point, anyway, is that they don't care what phone you get.
I live in Europe too .. but go to any phone shop, and you'll see that carriers pick specific phones to support. People traditionally buy phones with contracts - and a lot people shy away from buying a phone upfront (although this trend seems to be waning).
Also, a large part of the massive amount of money that's spent on marketing comes from the networks. Without their support a phone platform would be dead in the water.
I don't think the iPhone situation was an example of market forces creating pressure, I think the intention was always to allow other networks access .. in the UK Apple had a specific business relationship with O2 which must have been profitable for both parties. I think restriction to one network, was an example of clever (devious) marketing.
The situation will continue to change - but for the time being the power of these carrier networks is an unfortunate fact of life.
