FriendCaller Blog

Standardizing the charger connectors for mobile phones was one of the best ideas ever. It took some pressure from the European legislator asking for a common standard but finally it happened, and the best thing is that it paid off too. I have been testing our Android devices from Motorola, HTC, Huwaei, Samsung, Google, you name it. A micro USB connection is used in all of them. One charger making one connection to the Mac or PC sounds great and a bit similar to iPods and iPhone as well. Being a proprietary to Apple, they all stayed the same for the last few years and it fits all the iPods, iPhones and iPads etc.

I was already disappointed to find out that the Asus Transformer TF101 tablet used a different connector when I purchased it. Since, it was proprietary and they gave you just one cable at the time of purchase, often you experience ‘low or dead battery’ and often at times you do not have the charger with you as well. So, I wasn’t missing it much when I left it behind in our US office.

Today, I got another tablet, an Acer Iconia. This is the 7^th tablet that I have purchased I guess and they did it again. I connected it to my USB cable to test our upcoming FriendCaller Android Video Calling app and was very happy about the great video quality. But then the moment arrived when the tablet ran out of power while connected to my MAC. What was going on? How did it happen? My initial thought was that it is using more power and less charging but then to my horror, I found out that the micro USB port would not charge at all.

So, I searched the box and found a proprietary charger with a connector similar to the old Nokia one but with a 12V output. No doubt, it is a disturbing trend. Although I understand that the power of the USB port is limited, still it should be good enough to charge any mobile device of that size, shouldn’t it?

Wondering whether the cold war between Apple and Samsung has finally settled down? Well, think again! Recently, a Dutch court has put up a formal ban on the sales of Samsung Galaxy phones across Europe on Apple’s request. So, clearly, the two technology giants are still very much at odds with each other.

The decision was being announced by Rechtbank’s-Gravenhage (a Dutch court in the city of The Hague) after the hearing held on August 10 and 11, this year. Apparently, Samsung’s Galaxy S, Galaxy S II and Ace smart phones series have suffered this EU-wide preliminary sanction issued by the court which will be practically implemented by mid October. However, this injunction is not imposed on Galaxy tablets except in Germany.

So, how did it all start? After HTC, Apple continued with its aggressive patent-building strategy. It all started back in April 2011 when Apple sued Samsung for creating a patent outlook and feel of its iPhone and iPad as Samsung launched its Galaxy S series.

Samsung fired back with a countersuit targeting Apple for developing five patents relating to wireless networking. Since then, the rift between both the companies has not reached any conclusive settlement.

Currently, there are 19 lawsuits between Samsung and Apple that are still waiting for a decision. Experts are calling this decision as a ‘serious blow to Android’. While the two companies are unable to resolve the conflicts between them, Android might become a silent victim here. As the winning patent is likely to be banned by one or more of the apps that are compatible with Android, the effectiveness of Android might suffer in the long run.

So, now Apple has the first enforceable decision in hands, this patent dispute doesn’t seem to come to an end in near future. Samsung has also announced that the idea for an iPad-shaped tablet was in the pipeline for years even before Apple has ever imagined about it. Pretty interesting isn’t it? Well, it would be a delight to see what kind of evidence Samsung will bring to the court supporting this accusation and how Apple would respond to it. Stay tuned as the battlefield gets all fired up day by day.

According to analysts all over the world, this patent war has divided the tech world into two. Whether Apple will take the lead once again here or is Google going to stay indifferent to this controversial patent war? What’s going to happen to Android if Samsung or Apple loses their respective patent lawsuits? Guess, we will have to wait and watch!

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.

Indeed a very good day for Android. Google finally stepped up in the smartphones patent war, and announced today that it has acquired Motorola for $40 per share of Motorola or a lump sum of $12.5 Billion.

The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.

Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

Google was to pay $4 billion for Nortel’s 6000 wireless patents. So, acquiring Motorola, doesn’t seem to be a bad trade, but in fact with Motorola’s Mobility’s patents, Google can now easily fight back the lawsuits. Page called out that patents were the biggest reason of Motorola Mobility acquisition.

Truly we have seen how Apple was happy of having Galaxy Tab being blocked in Australia and Europe. Also, in United States Apple won a patent infringement case against Android’s largest handset maker, HTC. Furthermore, Microsoft played its part by squeezing out the patent licencing fees from 5 Android manufacturers. But, now with the Google having Motorola Mobility, end of patent war seems to be possible, providing developers more freedom on Android platform.

At Google I/O 2011 last month in San Francisco, it was announced that the Android Market has more than 200,000 downloadable applications and several analyst predict the number of Android apps bypassing iTunes soon.

The truth is, however, that the Android Market is growing rapidly, yet at the same time it has a much higher attrition rate than the iTunes Store. Recently, Appsfire reports that 32% of Android apps have disappeared from the Android Market since they were introduced. In contrast, the attrition rate for iTunes Store is half, at only 16%.

So, why is the attrition rate higher for Android? Appsfire points out that Android developers are more creative, and therefore are using the Android Market as a testing ground for new ideas. With the Android Market, virtually anyone can publish an app. In fact it only costs a $25 on-time fee to open a developer account, and there is no approval process. In contrast, Apple requires developers to pay an annual fee and imposes strict developer guidelines.

So is it a matter of low cost and convenience that is driving the high attrition rate for Android Apps? Easy come, easy go, as they say? Creativity vs. conformity? Quantity vs. quality? Are developers simply pulling their own apps? Google rarely removes apps from the market, and it limits its intervention to removal of malicious apps.

Personally, I am not fully convinced that it is the lack of an approval process that creates a higher attrition rate. Published apps can be updated immediately, and once published there is no cost involved to keep them in the store. For example, we have been updating our FriendCaller Android VoIP app on a regular basis, and it has been fun since we can react to user feedback at the Android Market much faster that on the iTunes Store.

Some of our latest updates to the FriendCaller Android version make it easier to build your friend list using Web email or Outlook contacts, and comes with an extended offer wall that presents opportunities to get more free call credits. On the other hand, our FriendCaller iPhone VoIP app has not been updated since Apple requested fundamental changes in the way offer walls work.

What do you think? Is it simply easy come, easy go? Are there other reasons that one third of all Android apps have disappeared from the Android Market? Please share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment or re-tweeting this post.