What is GOOGLE planning?

[flaminio]

Several new announcements today from the "Don't be evil" company.

Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

My opinion: mostly meh. Smoother graphics and better performance are always welcomed, and the resizable widgets sounds like a cool end-user feature (and a programming headache). The predictive keyboard doesn't excite me, 'cause I already use Swype which does all that and more. Richer notifications confuse me: "For example, you'll be able to tap a missed call message and have the option to ring the caller back." I think I can already do that now on my Gingerbread phone. It's all evolutionary, not revolutionary.

Nexus Q

I've read through this story a couple times, and honestly, I can't think of a single reason why I would buy this product (regardless of price, which at $300 seems high). It's cool that it's made in the USA, tho'...

Nexus 7 tablet

This one looks genuinely interesting. Apple has pretty much forsaken the 7" form factor, which is a shame, as iOS remains the superior tablet OS. Despite this, many people find the iPad too big and the iPod Touch too small. A device such as this fits right in a Goldilocks zone, and should be reasonable successful.

Google Glass

At $1500 and with limited initial release, this is clearly still future tech. But it's also the most interesting tech product I've seen in quite a while. Apple put out some cool stuff last month, but it was all just bigger and faster versions of stuff they already make. Google Glass, in its ultimate form, is unlike any product out there. I'm especially curious how the head's-up display will ultimately be realized -- I'm a big fan of augmented reality projects, and this is the first consumer level product that can truly realize this. Even if you personally hate this, your grandchildren will not want to live without one.

 

[Arshad]

Man I want one of those Google glasses! Too bad it's only available to conference participants...

 

[flaminio]

Man I want one of those Google glasses! Too bad it's only available to conference participants...

My coworker went. They giveaway a lot of schwag at those shows -- he's going to eBay all his schwag and use the money to buy the glasses.

 

[Arshad]

Yeah Apple used to give good stuff at early WWDC's... now it's crap. I got an iSight camera at one of them, a really nice leather jacket another year, etc.

The Google Glass has got me excited though... so many awesome augmented reality possibilities!

 

[PHOEN$X]

I wasn't terribly excited by the announcements today, particularly the Nexus 7. I may pick up a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7" (or original Samsung Galaxy Tab 7") to use as an e-reader and remote control for my TV (as it has the built in IR blaster which works pretty well with the Peel app), while I wait for the Microsoft Surface Pro to be released.

 

[flaminio]

The Google Glass has got me excited though... so many awesome augmented reality possibilities!

Think of the porn possibilities!

 

[jond]

Pretty cool that the Nexus Q is designed and made in the USA.
That might be the only thing left that's made here.
Even food is outsourced now days....

 

[flaminio]

Pretty cool that the Nexus Q is designed and made in the USA.

Yeah, that's cool -- but not enough to actually buy the sucker.

Compare, for example, the Q vs. a PS3 (same price for the 320GB version). The PS3 blows the Q away in every category, even if you never play a single game.

And obviously, boxes like Roku, Apple TV, WDTV, and Boxee do pretty much everything the Q does at a third the price.

I dig Google stuff, but I really don't get what they're thinking with the Q.

 

[Jimbo]

I see that Adobe finally gave up...

http://www.webmonkey.com/2012/06/android-4-1-no-flash-you/

Shouldn't be too much longer before Flash dies on the desktop too. Mobile is driving everything these days. Doesn't make sense to have multiple version websites.

-J

 

[KSXNSX]

Several new announcements today from the "Don't be evil" company.

Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

My opinion: mostly meh. Smoother graphics and better performance are always welcomed, and the resizable widgets sounds like a cool end-user feature (and a programming headache). The predictive keyboard doesn't excite me, 'cause I already use Swype which does all that and more. Richer notifications confuse me: "For example, you'll be able to tap a missed call message and have the option to ring the caller back." I think I can already do that now on my Gingerbread phone. It's all evolutionary, not revolutionary.

The following is coming from a Verizon Nexus, running a leaked Jellybean ROM (ported from the GSM Nexus handed out at Google's I/O):

We've had resizable widgets for a while now. Don't recall if in stock form, but for sure with 3rd party launchers.

Predictive Keyboard? Also something we've had for a long time. Also, the stock ICS keyboard has the best prediction/correction engine out there.

Richer notifications: it really is richer. The call-back feature has a "Call" button show up directly underneath the notification banner in the notification drawer. It's one less step than clicking on the missed call, being taken to the dialer, and clicking the call button there.

Emails also include more of a blurb rather than just which email account it is.

Yes, it is evolutionary, as the name "4.1" rather than "5.0" should indicate. But it is a greater leap forward than expected. You are missing the most important feature upgrades:

1. Cards: Swipe up from the navigation bar and you bring up an entirely new menu with search and "cards." From here, just saying "google" will cue the voice command/search function which is more like Siri. You also always have your weather show up (from wherever you are), and you always have a pre-pulled map with traffic info and ETA to a recent location you searched for on maps. When you are done with your appt, it automatically has your route home. VERY cool when you use it. It's like it's reading your mind. All these things show up as a notification in your not. bar too.

2. Siri-like Voice Command: Yes, it's like Siri, and much better in some ways. It's a COMPLETELY natural voice, and doesn't have much of an AI voice. Siri still sounds like AI, but this android voice sounds like a late-20s female talking to you on the phone. If you ask the weather, it speaks it back to you like Siri. If you ask it to set a reminder/alarm, it will do so and confirm. Better than siri, it has tighter google integration and will pull up and resynthesize info for you. I asked for Jeremy Clarkson's height, and it pulled up a little pic/bio of him and answered his height with voice.

Maps/Navigation is also completely in this new voice. Much nicer, and more accurate in pronouncing street names.

3. Optimizations all around, with new animations for window transitions. Pleasant to the eye.

Keep in mind that this isn't even the final version of 4.1, and it's already almost bug free. IMO, big step forward for Android that I was not expecting.

 

[Jamolah]

I'm excited for the voice commands/actions with JellyBean.

Yeah, that's cool -- but not enough to actually buy the sucker.

Compare, for example, the Q vs. a PS3 (same price for the 320GB version). The PS3 blows the Q away in every category, even if you never play a single game.

And obviously, boxes like Roku, Apple TV, WDTV, and Boxee do pretty much everything the Q does at a third the price.

I dig Google stuff, but I really don't get what they're thinking with the Q.

A gree with you 100% about the Q. Why the heck does it cost so much. It should be around the $100 mark.

 

[Jimbo]

Well today Google pulled the plug on the Nexus Q. Was it even a month? This is one confused company.

 

[flaminio]

Well today Google pulled the plug on the Nexus Q.

Not exactly. Google says it's been "delayed". I'm sure all two of the people who pre-ordered one will be upset.

 

[Jamolah]

Not exactly. Google says it's been "delayed". I'm sure all two of the people who pre-ordered one will be upset.

Actually according to what I read on engadget, they say anybody who pre-ordered one will still get a free Nexus Q. Pretty good deal. Nicely done Google, keeping your client base happy.

 

[PHOEN$X]

So it's delayed indefinitely: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012...definitely-no-longer-available-for-pre-order/

The initial feedback wasn't great and people were stumped by the device and its price point, so maybe Google is wise to pull the product and rethink it, rather than have another flop (Google TV) on their hands.

 

[Jamolah]

So it's delayed indefinitely: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012...definitely-no-longer-available-for-pre-order/

The initial feedback wasn't great and people were stumped by the device and its price point, so maybe Google is wise to pull the product and rethink it, rather than have another flop (Google TV) on their hands.

Google TV hasn't really flopped. Granted it hasn't done as well as Google had hoped, but it's still going pretty good.

Check out the Vizio Co-Star I think this will really help push Google TV.

 

[flaminio]

10 ways Android beats the iPhone 5

Apple may have mollified the masses by adding significantly better specs to its smartphone offering, but when it comes to innovation, the iPhone 5 just can’t compete with the latest Android handsets. Sure a larger screen, 4G LTE support and a faster CPU are welcome additions to the world’s number one phone, but Apple is a year late and $199 short, because Android has provided all these features and more for some time now.

In fact, even after Apple’s johnny-come-lately improvements, Android phones have a number of key advantages over the iPhone 5.

The list; my (brief) comments in red.

1. Screens larger than 4 inches -- choice is always good, but I don't really want a much larger screen on my phone.

2. NFC support -- this is really cool tech, with application everywhere and as yet undreamt about. Support from Apple would have made it ubiquitous; as it remains Android only, it will remain a niche technology, sadly.

3. Custom widgets on your home screen -- I love my widgets. I love being able to look at the phone and get information without having to open an app. iOS's screen full of icons seems so 2007 by comparison.

4. A micro USB port rather than a proprietary connector -- I don't really care about cables so much, but if iPhone users are happy to pay $19 vs. $1.08 for their cables, more power to 'em.

5. Third-party software keyboards -- mega-plus THIS. I love my Swype keyboard with all my heart. It's either because I'm old or have fat fingers, but I can't type on an iPhone keyboard worth a damn. But I can Swype with speed.

6. Attach any files you want to your email -- I don't do a lot of this on my phone, and didn't even realize this was an iPhone limitation. Certainly I'd be jammed up if I tried to send a file to my boss and my phone wouldn't allow it.

7. Share using any service you want -- Having this ability at the OS level rather than the app level just makes so much sense.

8. Visible file system -- Doubleplus THIS as well. When I'm working at my desktop, the ability to work on documents directly on my phone is very cool. How do iPhone users do it -- sync with iTunes, edit the file, then sync it back? Seems like a royal PITA by comparison.

9. Haptic feedback -- I hate haptic feedback, and have this turned off on my phone. Still, having the option is nice, in case there are people out there who like it.

10. Pen support -- My phone doesn't have a pen, but I do see great utility with such a device when playing Draw Something.

 

[flaminio]

Fallout from the iOS6 Maps fiasco? GOOG is raging today while AAPL is getting clobbered.

Full disclosure: I own both, so it's about a net zero for me. :frown:

 

[Hapa88]

Fallout from the iOS6 Maps fiasco? GOOG is raging today while AAPL is getting clobbered.

Full disclosure: I own both, so it's about a net zero for me. :frown:

Hopefully Google will get the Map app out for iPhone soon! :biggrin:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57517561-37/google-homes-in-on-maps-app-for-ios-6-report-says/

http://www.webpronews.com/when-will-ios-get-google-maps-back-2012-09

 

[Jimbo]

10 ways Android beats the iPhone 5

8. Visible file system -- Doubleplus THIS as well. When I'm working at my desktop, the ability to work on documents directly on my phone is very cool. How do iPhone users do it -- sync with iTunes, edit the file, then sync it back? Seems like a royal PITA by comparison.

I don't know of anyone who does it that way. It's so much easier with iCloud, Dropbox, Box, SkyDrive, etc.

Using the iApps (Numbers, Keynote and Pages) with iCloud/iWork is really seamless and transparent. From the Mac, iPhone and iPad everything is just there.

-Jim

 

[Motegi]

Fallout from the iOS6 Maps fiasco? GOOG is raging today while AAPL is getting clobbered.

Full disclosure: I own both, so it's about a net zero for me. :frown:

Actually what happened was that the analysts had predicted 8-10 MILLION iPhone 5 sales over the weekend.

Gene Munster, analyst w/ Piper Jaffray, predicted sales of 10 million unit with a "worst case" of six million units.

Apple's sales figures from Fri-Sunday were only 5 million. This number does not count the units that have been ordered by customers but are "in transit" (in the hands of UPS/FedEx) which is estimated at at least 1 million. It also does not account for those orders that have been placed but are backordered which is likely much higher.

Looking back, Apple sold 4 million of the iPhone 4S in the first week of sales.

Today a Sterne Agee analyst said that Apple fell short because the analysts predicted numbers "were not based in reality...". (Honestly, where do they get these analysts?)

”We find it unfortunate that some analysts continue to publish irresponsible estimates without taking into account realistic demand trends and potential supply constraints on new in-cell touchscreens.”

Now "analysts" are predicting that if Apple does not sell 50+ million iPhones in the next quarter "they could be in trouble"...

When announcing their predictions for iPhone sales, analysts neglected to include two key elements -- supply shortages and market saturation.

There is clearly a ton of increased competition in the smartphone sector. Also most of those who purchased iPhone 4S's last year are not eligible for upgrade at this time due to contract limitations.

These numbers are put into perspective by the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S3 sold 20 million units in the first 100 days on the market.

 

[Jimbo]

Yes, and the numbers don't account for the larger than usual online pre-ordering, which some analysts believe was much higher than in the past. Sales of the 5 were also much higher than the previous 4S model.

 

[Caustic]

I don't know of anyone who does it that way. It's so much easier with iCloud, Dropbox, Box, SkyDrive, etc.

Using the iApps (Numbers, Keynote and Pages) with iCloud/iWork is really seamless and transparent. From the Mac, iPhone and iPad everything is just there.

-Jim

It seems weird and counter-intuitive to send something "out to the cloud" only for your desktop to have to reach out there to get it when the two devices are sitting at the same desk.

Just plug it in and away you go. And I know a lot of people who do it this way.

 

[jond]

Just plug it in and away you go. And I know a lot of people who do it this way.

Yeah I don't understand why apple forces people to use itunes to transfer data.
If I want to copy data to my phone, I just plug it into my laptop and copy it.
So simple. With my iPod, it takes half an hour to load a new song.

 

[Gansan]

On the subject of file systems, I think Apple's eventual goal is to make them something hidden as part of the infrastructure rather than make the user deal with it.

Before iTunes came out, a lot of us were accustomed to managing our MP3s. We would rip CDs, put them in directories so we could find them later, and then make playlists in Winamp (or whatever), which were also saved in files. The concept of our music was centered around these files we had stashed away on the hard drive.

Then iTunes came out. It probably wasn't the first music library manager, but it was the first one I used. Now, you put your music into iTunes, it would copy the files into itself, and now you didn't need to worry about organizing the files. A lot of the complaints about iTunes early on came from users trying to make iTunes do it the old way. Once your files are in there, you would search for the artist or song you wanted by typing the first few characters, and it would narrow down the list live. You could make a playlist and the list would live inside iTunes, which is where you use it. No playlist file to worry about sitting on your HD.

Compare this to a Winamp playlist--you are managing this file which has no use outside of Winamp--why have it outside the app at all? Similarly, instead of looking for that folder where you stashed your Red Hot Chili Peppers so you could open the MP3 in Winamp, you just type "Red" in iTunes and you get their songs. Or you type "calif" and you get the album and the song Californication. The user interface is customized to find the music you want to play in an efficient way. If you want to get your music file back (to put on a usb stick or whatever), you drag the song from iTunes to your desktop or the disk. iTunes copies the file there. So you can always get your data back.

Now let's talk about photos. Do you really want to organize thousands and thousands of files called DSC00002123.JPG, DSC00002124.JPG? Hell no. That's terrible. You identify pictures by looking at them. That's why Finder and Windows Explorer have picture previews in their file browsers. The filename is completely useless, and you shouldn't have to organize your thousands of files.

Enter the photo library manager. Picassa, iPhoto, and many others. They slurp in your photos and now you have a user interface that is designed to find and identify your photos quickly. You get thumbnails, a way to attach keywords for searching, and iPhoto organizes by events. They do facial recognition so you can find files with your mom's face. Now you don't need to look at folders full of DSC00005772.JPG and you can see at a glance what each photo is.

This is the direction Apple believes future data management is going. That's why in Garageband for iOS you get a list of your projects in a nice UI instead of showing you a file dialog on your tiny phone screen where you look for the directory and that file you called "glens funky beats 23.prj" where you think you had that recording of a cool groove. iWork shows you nice thumbnails of your documents so you can recognize them.

Finally, this is why you have to use iTunes to transfer your data. Apple is strongly encouraging developers to not make users transfer files. Unfortunately, the iTunes file transfer method is horrible, and it might be because they don't want you to use it and would rather have you use the cloud instead. In Mountain Lion, the default dialog in the Preview app is iCloud. I suspect the same will happen increasingly with other apps. Clearly, they expect more and more of your data to live there, just like Google is encouraging you to keep your documents in Google Drive/Docs.