Android Archives - The Connected World

Newsweek Goes All Digital in 2013

Oct 18

Newsweek is cutting the cord. After 80 years of print publishing the newsmagazine will stop it’s print edition in 2013 and be available exclusively in digital format. I think it’s a great move and I think others will follow their lead in the coming years.

There is no doubt we are moving toward a digital only publishing future. Book were first and now Amazon.com sells more Kindle digital books than they do print books. Many traditional bookstores have fallen by the wayside with only Barnes & Noble surviving, largely because of their successful Nook eReader. Electronic readers can now be had for as little as $69 and the incredible beagle eReader is proposed at just $12. The other major factor driving the digital publishing revolution is the rise of the tablet computer. Led by the iPad and now followed by a swarm of Android tablets. The Google Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire particularly at 7 inches and just $199 are becoming super popular. So popular, in fact, that Apple will introduce a less expensive 7 inch iPad next week. The tablet is such a natural platform for reading and because they are color and now coming in very high resolutions, they are a great match for magazines. Magazines have been on the iPad from the beginning and the number available is accelerating. Android tablets also have a strong collection of magazines as well.

Of course when you are digital there are other advantages, such as bringing in interactivity and video to the publication. In Newsweeks case, what I most like is that since they now can focus all their attention on the digital edition, they have a change to really make a fantastic publication. In addition, since they dont’ have anymore printing and distribution costs, they could become very price competitive if they wanted to.

For marketers, what does this mean? I think it means, you had better have an interactive developer on staff or work with an agency that does. When you go digital with your ads, you now have the option of enhancing them with animations, effects or even full out video. What if you put a lead generation form right in the ad; something customers could fill out right then and there? What if your ad was a little game people could play? The possibilities are endless. Time to start thinking different.

Screens Continue To Invade Our Lives

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

Aug 23

Screen, screen, everywhere a screen. The first screen was our traditional television. Then, we got one on our desktop via the desktop computer. Now, we have additional screens in our lap and in our hands. With this new product release of what they are calling a “large screen mobile smart cloud product”, I think we’re going to see an expansion of the number of screens we are exposed to.

Some are looking at this as a “smart tv” product, but I don’t think that’s really what we’re looking at. Apple will reveal their television soon and that will define the market as many past apple products have done. But this product, which is Android powered could be just the thing to hang on the wall of your bedroom or a teenagers bedroom. This is a more casual, at-a-glance screen. With voice control, you could ask it to play the days weather forecast video, show your schedule for the day or entertain you with the latest video on YouTube while you get ready in the morning. When you are trying to get through your morning routine, it’s hard to do all that and hold a device, so this makes perfect sense. You might even want one in the kitchen. Play me some music while I prepare dinner or show me that video on cooking that special lunch sandwich I was interested in. Yes, an iPad could do all that, but the difference here is that it hangs on the wall so it’s neat and out of the way.

If this this the future of television as we know it, it also points up some other interesting facts. For the first time, when you turn on your smart tv, it may not go directly to the last channel you were on but to an information screen and will have plenty of other choices as to what to do that are NOT watching traditional television. Television producers an networks will have to think radically differently in this new world. In fact, we should stop even thinking of these devices as televisions at all. These are flat screen computers mounted on your wall. One of their many functions is to play video, or television. Think about the mobile phone. It’s not a mobile phone at all. It’s a handheld computer that can make and receive phone calls. How much disruption has the smart phone caused in the industry? Television is about to get disrupted in much the same way. I hope the industry is ready.

Google Understands It’s Not A Hardware Company

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

Jul 5

This may seem a strange thing to say with Google announcing the Nexus 7 tablet, Google Q and showing a flashy demo of Google Glass last week at Google I/O but stay with me.

By point of contrast, look at Apple. Apple is a hardware company. Everything Apple does it about the hardware. Even Apple’s software is primarily to make their hardware more attractive. Most of the software Apple sells is either included with a new computer purchase or is very inexpensive. Clearly Apple is not interested in making money off software. Save for iTunes, you also won’t find any Apple software on any other hardware platform. The only reason iTunes went Windows was to sell more hardware, the iPod and iPhone.

Google is all about Internet services, primarily search. There is all kinds of data that feeds the search database and Google has created additional software and services with the goal of using them to feed in more data. Did you forget Gmail analyzes your emails and feeds up relevant ads? It’s all grist for the mill as they say.

Google doesn’t even really do hardware at all. They created a spec and an os for a mobile phone and let other people create the hardware. They don’t even license the software, it’s free. The only reason Google started doing the Nexus phones was because the Android phones that were currently out at the time were not good enough to compete with the iPhone. Google needed the developers to step up their game so they showed them how it should be done and, in fact, Android phones got a lot better after that. Google continues to create Nexus phones to keep developers on their toes.

The other thing the Nexus line of hardware allows Google to do is have more control over the hardware. With more control, they can potentially do more things with their services. Google on iOS is fine, but it makes Google reliant on Apple and what they choose to do with their hardware and what kind of access they give developers in an API. With Android, Google has full rein of the field.

But all of this is a means to an end, namely Google services. Search services, location services, ect. All these services, in one way or another, hook into the real source of Google power, the advertising network. Here is one more piece of evidence Google is not a hardware company. They keep releasing software on iOS. Their own Chrome browser now runs on iPhone as well as just about every other piece of mobile software they have. Gmail, Google+, Maps, Google Local, Google Drive, ect. Why do they have so much software on iOS? Simple, it’s a big market to expose to Google services.

How Big Is Too Big – Android Pushes The Limits With Nexus Prime

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

Oct 4

So, very interesting news today from Apple, as they take a half step with the new iPhone 4S instead of a more complete redesign of the hardware. The only thing I wonder about is the screen size. I have gotten used to my Droid X and it’s 4.3 inch screen. I do like the extra room but I will admit it’s about as large a device as I would want to hold as a cell phone. The rumors were that the iPhone would move up to a 4 inch screen; not as large as the Droid X but larger than the current 3.5 inch iPhone screen. This would have been a nice compromise and I was looking forward to it. Now, however, if I want to go back to the iPhone as I have been planning, I will be stepping down a little on screen size.

Now comes word that next week Samsung will announce the next great Android phone for Verizon (my carrier) and it’s the Nexus Prime. It will have a screen that is supposedly 4.5 inches. Like I said, I can’t imagine wanting a screen larger than my Droid X at 4.3, so 4.5 is really pushing the limits I think. At a certain point, it’s just too large for a cell phone isn’t it? At a certain point, you just want to to straight to 7 inches and call it a tablet. but your phone you want to keep smaller and lighter. I don’t see how pushing the cell phone screen larger and larger is helping anything.

I am still disappointed to not get at least a slightly larger screen for the iPhone but I think I will hold to my plan of moving back anyway for many of the reasons I previously outlined. iPhone 4S isn’t everything I hoped for, but it’s still a very good phone.

Why I Am Going Back To The iPhone

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

Sep 2

I primarily changed from an iPhone to an Android phone two years ago not because I disliked the iPhone but to get away from AT&T and their terrible network. Now, my contract with Verizon is up and I can choose a new phone. Since the iPhone is not on Verizon as well, I have a real choice. Stick with Android or go back to the iPhone. I have a Droid X Android phone, which is fine enough, but I’m going back to the iPhone for a couple of reasons.

Media Management

The Android platform is terrible at managing and playing media. It always has been and I am shocked to this day Google has not vastly improved this feature. Syncing songs and podcasts with iTunes is no trivial matter and the media player application itself leaves so much to be desired. Third party apps help but there is nothing I can find that comes close to the grace and elegance of the iPod features built into the iPhone. Google Music helps a little, but that service wants to stream all your music and with stricter data caps coming to all wireless carriers, I don’t know how that’s going to play.

Apps

It’s all about the apps these days and which Android has made vast strides in the apps that are available, I have found a few that I am interested in that are iPhone only. Also, it appears to be that iPhone development is still getting more love than Android development. A company may have support for both platforms but they will almost always update the iPhone app first. The big double edged sword as well is Apple’s approval process for apps. Since Apple goes through everything with a fine tooth comb, iPhone apps are generally of higher quality, both in their look and feel as well as stability.

Accountability

Here is another double edged sword. Apple controls everything in their ecosystem from the hardware to the software, so they can provide a more seamless experience. Android, by definition, is fragmented. Different hardware all with different specs. Even the operating system is different as hardware vendors put their different skins and extras features on top of Android. No two Android phones work exactly the same. My Droid X, after upgrading to the latest Android OS had a nasty bug where it would randomly reboot itself in the middle of playing music or a podcast. Now who is responsible for this bug and who do I complain to? Google, Motorola, Verizon? With the iPhone, the buck always stops with Apple and they are very agressive about fixing bugs, especially one as serious as mine. I waited months for the bug to be fixed on my phone. With an iPhone, a bug that serious would have been fixed in days.

Carrier Control

With iPhones, the wireless carriers have very little if anything to say about what goes on the phone and how things operate. On Android phones, carriers put all kinds of bloatware and apps that you never asked for on the phone. Carriers also decide which operating system updates you will get and when. I am sick of carriers telling me what I can and cannot do with my phone. All iPhones come clean, with only the software Apple wants and virtually all iPhones get software upgrades at the same time and when Apple releases them. Part of this goes back to Apple’s control over the ecosystem as they can better ensure updates will work on all iphones. Every time Google updates Android, carriers have to update their special interfaces and that takes time.

Things I will Miss

Is there anything I will miss about my Android phone? Probably the biggest thing is the Google integration. Especially Gmail on the phone, which is great. Also, Android has the best sharing features I have seen anywhere. If you are sitting on a webpage or in Google Reader, the universal sharing interface that lets you use just about any installed app to share that content is second to none.

The timing couldn’t be better. My contract is up and the iPhone 5 is just around the corner. I’m coming home.

The App Bubble

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

May 28

I well remember the first Internet Bubble. Companies were being formed right and left. You could get millions of dollars of funding for quite literally an idea scratched out on the back of the napkin. It did not matter how silly the idea seamed and few questions as to any actual business model. If it was cool, that was enough and everyone was sure they would figure out a way to make money eventually. Of course that’s why they call it a bubble. Bubbles are temporary and unstable. The Internet Bubble popped and all of Silicon Valley imploded with it. I was there and it was ugly.

I can’t help but feeling we are inflating a new bubble, an app bubble. Cell phones are now smart phones, handheld computers really and a vast wave of applications are being developed for them. There are getting to be too many apps and they are getting a little silly. Witness Dryer Bro, an application that tells you when your dryer load is done. You have to put your iphone down on the dryer and the accelerometer determines when the shaking has stopped and sends a text message to, well, your iphone which is sitting on the dryer. Actually the app says it sends a text to a group of “bros” you determine so I guess they can go get your laundry…or tell you that it’s done. You can see, this is where apps have jumped the shark. In the coming Internet of Things you don’t think dryers and washers will notify us of their status themselves? Seriously, where is the business model? The core killer technology? There’s just no there there. TechCrunch reviewed this app and gave it a rave review. Remember when we all bought into that Pets.com and Webvan were surely going to be the next great thing?

Apps are all the rage but many of them are just dumb or terrible. There will be another popping of this app bubble soon and it will be a good and cleansing thing. As the popping of the Internet Bubble shook the industry back into the reality of serious ideas and real business models so will the app bubble pop clear out the apps based on, dare I say, nothing but air? Hopefully we will be left with fewer apps that are more valuable and backed by solid technology.

Connected World Radio: The Connected Explosion

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

Jan 13

Topics include:

New Android tablets debut at CES

The new Apple Macbook Air and what it means for the future of mobile computing

The coming flood of Internet connected devices or cloud based computing

App stores in the connected world. Apple vs Google

What do businesses need to do to capitalize on all that’s been discussed on todays show

Listen To The Show!

Data is King in the Connected World

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

Oct 26

I love my Amazon Kindle and so do a lot of other people. Amazon just announced for their top 10 books, Kindle versions are outselling print editions by more than 2 to 1. One of the reasons I love the Kindle so much turns out to be one of the best business decisions Amazon has made; Kindle software is available on a variety of platforms, including iPhones, Android phones, iPads, PC’s and Macs. Amazon has not forgotten they are first and foremost a reseller of books, and they have all the bases covered. Best yet, though, is the Kindle software keeps your books and most importantly your place in those books in sync across all your devices. Start reading a book on your Kindle and pick right up on your iPhone.

The key point here is that we are not only living in a Connected World but a device world. The world is littered with millions of devices of all kinds and more people are finding themselves with more than one. When you have multiple devices, the critical factor becomes keeping your data in sync with all of them. The Kindle happens to be one of the best examples of keeping data and state beautifully in sync. We are going to need to see this more with the other applications we use regularly.

This is why we are seeing such a push toward using the cloud, a fancy term meaning the Internet, for these kinds of services. When applications run on the Net, it’s much easier to maintain state and data across devices. Google’s Gmail is another great example of this. You can easily connect to and maintain all the read statuses wether you’re using an iPad or an Android phone.

In the Connected World it’s just as important to be connected to your data as with other people.

Connected World TV: 2010 Trends

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

Jan 27

Sorry, I’m a little late posting this one, but here are the 2010 technology trends as I see them.

Quicktime Version

Google Android is Coming

By David JacobsLeave a Comment

Apr 23

According to reports T-Mobile will be first out of the gate with mobile phones based on the new Google Android specification. I am excited to see what becomes of this and I hope Android phones are sucessful. We need more competition in the mobile market when it comes to software. Palm has been left for dead and Nokia is not a player outside of Europe. The iphone has been the only real breath of fresh air in the market in years.

Although many will play it off as such, I don’t see Android as competition as much for the iPhone as it is for Microsoft and Windows Mobile. Google is taking the Microsoft approach, not focusing on hardware at all, but providing a software platform upon which many phones can be built. Apple’s iPhone is a unique experience unto itself and I think it will continue to stand apart. The pressure is really going to be on for Microsoft to make Windows Mobile more compelling.

What all this means in general is that the mobile market will continue to accelerate and companies had better start thinking about how mobile fits into their plans. Already I am disappointed that my bank Washington Mutual has no mobile access to their online banking. Customers will soon factor mobile access into their buying decisions when looking at things like online banking and bill payment.

Synchronization features will also be an important part of any new product or service. Ideally I want my data synced between my desktop, mobile and Internet. Evernote is a new note taking program that I am loving and it does a masterful job of synchronization. All they need now is a better iPhone client.