FriendCaller Blog

An interesting question! Recently, Apple won a lawsuit against Samsung when an EU-wide ban on the release of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 was imposed by a Dutch court. Later on, the ban was lifted except in Germany. Similarly, Samsung filed a lawsuit against Apple in a French court on Tuesday over infringement of three of its patents in iPhone and iPad tablets.

So, what’s up with Apple fighting the release of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with all its might? Finally, I got my answer when I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 the other day. With Android dominating the smartphones’ market of today and Samsung using Android 3.1 (Honeycomb)  in its Galaxy tab, I must say Samsung surely knows how to play their cards right.

I have found Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 much better than Apple iPad 2, why? Well, apart from being more fast and light-weight, there’s a lot more to it that makes it a reliable choice. Here’s a brief comparison for you to decide for yourself that which one is better and why?

Gathering from these features, clearly, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 takes the lead here. I was glad to find out that Samsung Galaxy Tab comes with two cameras, an integrated phone and Adobe Flash support. Wow! With Android’s open source ecosystem, browsing is so much fun on Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

What’s more thrilling for me was that fact that we tested our Android Video Calling BETA app on Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it worked, Great! Since, we are all set to upgrade our FriendCaller for Android app by adding the Video Calling feature; it was quite a delightful surprise with improved echo cancellation, no blurry video and crystal clear voice quality.

No wonder! Apple is not ready to give up on this patent dispute with Samsung. With so many great features to offer and an open source Android ecosystem, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is definitely a win!

Intel join hands with Google! Exciting isn’t it? On Tuesday, Intel Corp announced a joint development venture with Google to create and optimize future versions of Android smartphones for Intel’s ‘Atom’ processors. The two technology giants will team up to work on different Android platforms and are all set to release the first Intel-powered Android smartphones in the first half of 2012.

These days, a large number of smartphones and tablets use ARM architectural-based processors built by companies like Texas instruments and Samsung instead of Intel, mainly because of the power efficiency factor. Intel teaming itself with Google at this stage when the sales of PCs are slowing down is a smart move. With Android dominating the smartphones’ market, taking the lead from Apple iOS, Microsoft and RIM, Intel would definitely get the long-term benefit out of this mobile partnership.

Now, who will be the manufacturer of these devices? None of the companies mentioned it but Google’s recent acquisition of Motorola Mobility hardware definitely leaves a big hint here. Whatever the case maybe, this partnership offers a great opportunity for Intel in order to make a much-needed breakthrough entry into the booming smartphones’ market.

Earlier versions of Android such as Android 2.2 (Froyo) are already been ported to Intel. Now, with this recent collaboration of the two companies to improvise all the future Android versions, Intel and Google are certainly taking their relationship to the next level, providing developers a wide range of opportunities to expand their expertise.

Our FriendCaller Video Calling app for Android is in its final development stages. Generally, an Android device comes with a built-in camera, often two. These days, Android users can choose from a variety of apps that support Video Calling, Video Chat or apps related to taking photos and customizing them on their Android devices.

If you own an Android device, you can be the first one to be a part of our Android Beta Testing Program. Check the compatibility of your Android device by taking our cam check test and win a calling credit of upto 250 FREE minutes if it qualifies. We are focused on bringing forth the best combinations of good picture and crystal clear voice quality possible to let the users enjoy a high-end Video Calling experience.

With our FriendCaller App for Android, enjoy an excellent picture quality in a landscape mode just by rotating the front face camera of your Android device during a Video Call. Watch this space for our soon to be launched FriendCaller Video Calling app!

Besides Video Calling, you can turn your Android device’s cam into a professional one. Here are some of the recommended apps to enhance the quality of the pictures taken from your Android devices.

For capturing specialized actions and movements in real-time, you can go for Action Snap app.

If you want to create automatic HDR images, HDR camera is a good app to go for. You can adjust the color vividness to saturated or black and white by adjusting the settings accordingly.

For motion detection feature, Camera Trigger is the recommended app but it would only work as long as your Android screen doesn’t turn off.  Make sure you download the latest versions that are compatible with your Android device.

Android is everywhere! By downloading the right apps, you can make the most out of your Android device’s cam on both professional and personal levels so head off to Android Market today!

I’m actually happy that Google has taken over Motorola. At least, now we can expect Motorola phones getting regular Android updates. Also, they won’t be putting up with proprietary user interfaces that absolutely ruin Android experience. The release of Android 3.0 only to device makers, who will be shipping the simple Vanilla version is a very smart move for sure.

Yesterday, I wrote a blog post about forceful sign-ups with Samsung only to find out no updates in the end on  Samsung Galaxy S Plus. Can it get any worse? Well, the answer is yes. I bought a Samsung Galaxy S5 too that resembles an iPod touch with 5’’ screen. Features include a front face camera that we need for our FriendCaller Android Video Chat App. But here’s the catch! The device came with an Android 2.2 installed in it whereas front face camera feature is supported only by Android 2.3 version. Now, that’s disturbing, isn’t it?

One bad experience led to another. I could not find any ‘System Update’ option, which should have been above status on about section. Great! What’s going on here?

It dawned on me after searching Samsung website and going through this that a special software installation is required on my MAC, (Hurray, they offer a MAC version).  This looks almost similar to iTunes with its own Android market place. So, this explains why Samsung forces the user so much into ‘Kies’. Yes, you either sign up and buy your music and apps or get ready to receive no updates. Ouch!

Did I have a choice? No, so I downloaded and installed the software, updated the new download and connected my Galaxy S5. Wondering what did I get? A pop-up that ‘this device is not supported by Kies 2.0’! Are you kidding me???

Android has certainly taken 2 steps back here, losing enough credibility. I frankly don’t care if they sell half a million Android a day or 1 million. If they cannot control these major issues like fragmentation or bad user experience just because they ignore these device makers’ proprietary stunts, this is not going to work. What’s in it for me if I spend a cool thousand bucks on 2 Samsung devices that turned out to be an epic fail right from the beginning?

So, I am back to my Nexus S, a pure Android inside out. Ironically, it’s also manufactured by Samsung but it works like a pro, always updated and does not limit my mobile freedom.

What is your Android experience?

P.S  I fancy the name ‘Kies’. The German meaning of this word is a kind of loose gravel. Hmm, a perfect description I must say based on the kind of user experience it offers which is totally built up on loose grounds.

Android has always been putting up with fragmentation issues, lack of live available updates and the “local” flavors of device manufactures adding their own user interfaces. As an end result, it leads to a frustrating experience for both consumers and developers.

As per my personal experience, today, Android took 2 steps back. Currently, we are testing our new Android Video chat app and its working great on most of the devices so far. My developers ask if I can find a device with Android 2.2, chat camera and a phone with an inbuilt single core processor. Wow! Deadly combination, isn’t it? Sure guys, anything else?

My quick visit to the local electronics street in Taipei (Taiwan) turned out to be a success, how? Well, from my Samsung dealer, I ended up getting a Samsung S 5 which resembles iPod touch in many ways. Specifications include a flashy 5 inch screen and a Samsung S Plus. But every perfect story has a twist. Today I set them up, but now I’m totally upset.

It all started with the Samsung S Plus which simply refuses to present any live updates unless you sign-in to a Samsung account.

Despite of the language settings I chose, it presented me with Chinese terms, great! Now, who reads all these terms anyways? Glad to find out that at least the ‘Agree’ Button was in English so I clicked it.

Once, admitting me to be 99 years old; all I was presented with was a ‘No Update Available’ screen. Guess they don’t offer anything for this age group, Ha!