SoftBank and Sharp going Android in 2010

For once in my short lifetime I can finally say we here in the U.S. have a cool mobile technology before our tech god cousins in Japan. That gift is Android. The Android scene in Japan has been pretty much non-existent with NTT DoCoMo’s plans to actually release an Android device(s) remaining fairly stagnant. Heck, it’s been a good year since DoCoMo first announced they were going to release Android handsets. Their stalling is another carriers talking point as SoftBank has announced that they plan on releasing an Android powered device next year. Sharp meanwhile also announced Japanese bound Android support though their “device” included an “s” so perhaps NTT DoCoMo is finally getting that ball rolling.

Some may discount the fact that Sharp is but one player in the hardware market in a country that is chock full of mobile devices. Wile true, Sharp just so happens to be the largest mobile hardware manufacturer in the land of the rising sun. That fact alone means any decisions or technologies they choose to introduce will actually reach quite a few people.

Since Japan does enjoy several mobile technologies that many other earthlings can only dream of, Android does have to be tweaked as it’s been stated that the OS will support custom Japanese technologies such as seg-1 (mobile tv standard) as an example. Given the added develops being added to the Japanese flavor of Android, a delay on DoCoMo’s part doesn’t seem as far fetched. Still, a year without any major advancements is a long time.

Any Japanese readers eagerly anticipating Android’s touchdown?

Android Community

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RIM gets it: “It’s in the apps”

While Microsoft’s Ray Ozzie seems to believe that apps have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the success or failure of a smartphone platform, *cough…because the correlation between iPhone and Android app choices and platform success is completely unrelated….cough* RIM is finally starting to catch on to why Apple and Android are enjoying so much success — because apps do matter.

Following on the heels of the BlackBerry conference that took place this past week, RIM co-CEO’s Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie both acknowledged that the new announcements and advancements in mobile application development for BlackBerry will help push the platform into the same league as the iPhone and Android platforms. There’s no arguing with the fact that those two platforms have thriving app stores with the Apple App Store and Android Market featuring 115,000 and 30,000 apps respectively.

RIM is on the right path to cover up some of those stodgy suits that put a blanket of coldness on their image. But they’re not out of the woods yet. They’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars and many years building their business minded image. Only recently did they begin really focusing on the uber consumer phone — the iPhone. For now, I see Android (which is in my eyes a mix of BlackBerry and iPhone markets) a good target to aim for. WinMo on the other hand…? Review mirror folks. Rearview mirror…

MocoNews

And the war rages on: AT&T releases commercial bashing VZW network…

First off, if you skipped the commercial above, go back and watch it. Ok, watched it? Great. Grand. Good. So let’s just pick this apart shall we?

1. Nation’s Fastest 3G network: Debatable. You have to be able to get a signal first. And even then, many large cities with pristine signal quality suffer from grossly overtaxed networks.

   Winner: Draw

2. Talk and surf at the same time: Correct. AT&T does hold a big advantage over VZW’s network by allowing users to talk and use data at the same time. VZW’s CDMA based network simply can’t compete.

   Winner: AT&T

3. Most Popular Smartphones: Debatable. Though AT&T does often get more and better phones. VZW usually receives second rate smartphones and overhyped feature phones that used to all come neutered. But VZW’s recent embracing of more open technologies and buddying up with Android are looking up.

   Winner: AT&T by a hair, but VZW is quickly closing the gap

4. Access to over 100,000 apps: Want misleading? Come and get a big steaming pile of it right here. Simply stating that AT&T offers users (read: users in general — with no mention of the iPhone or App Store) is far more misleading than VZW’s network coverage maps. Sure a simple little text blurb at the bottom about some apps being “device specific” is displayed. But if Verizon’s ads — detailing how 2G coverage is available outside of 3G areas but not shown — are misleading, how are AT&T’s not? The iPhone is the only platform to have over 100,000 apps. The BlackBerry platform has it’s share and Symbian devices have a nice little niche market. And the featurephones — don’t even get me started. Another prime example of AT&T failing to capitalize on anything besides the iPhone…

   Winner: Draw. While the number of Apps available to AT&T iPhone customers is huge, AT&T is simply throwing around a big number to woo over potential customers. **In other news, cookware retailers announce strange shortage of black pots….

5. Has a “V” in the name: AT&T has run out of lies to spew and truths to distort. Witty attempt goes here.

While VZW’s ads were pretty much spot, some (misfit’s we’re looking at you) were kind of corny. AT&T’s on the other hand? Well, if they haven’t fired those responsible, now would be a good time to do so. So who wins? Neither. Figure that? It’s simple: AT&T needs to upgrade their network and Verizon needs to continue getting awesome phones. Draw it is.

TiPB

Vodafone and Verizon customers beware. Email virus with your name on it.

Vodafone and Verizon Wireless users have a new threat to watch out for in their inbox. A new virus claiming to be from either Vodafone or Verizon comes with a subject of “Your credit balance is over the limit”. The danger comes by way of an attached virus that the email details as an “balance checker”. Whatever you do, do not open it or run the attached program. Doing so invites in a nasty little Trojan with name of “Regrun” that hosts a nasty program flagged as “Mal/Zbot-P”.

It’s extremely important to know that the above Trojan is associated with a reported $100 million+ dollars that has already been stolen from victims’ accounts. With that said, the intentions of this Trojan are to gather login information to banking and other financial based sites. Avoiding emails that contain the message as detailed above is your best bet. Anyone get bitten yet? If so, how hard was it to get rid of? Share the details below.

Zedomax > Geek With A Laptop

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Gmail/Google Talk now showing which contacts using Android devices.

Users of Gmail who like to take weekly strolls through the Gmail labs area of the the gCloud will notice a new feature has popped up dubbed “Green Robot”. The word “Green” and “Robot” coming from anything Google could only mean one thing: Android. Activating this feature will simply make your Gmail contact chat dots who use Android devices display as color coded Android icons instead of the typical colored dot.

By no means is it a productivity booster or performance enhancing trick. It’s nothing but a cool little visual treat to spruce up your inbox and splash your Android fetish over yet another service/product. According to Google, this feature was made solely to make conversations between Gtalk/Gmail users more efficient by allowing users to “tailor their messages depending on their recipients device”. You obviously don’t want to write small novels on your phone nor do you want to read them. But why stop at just Android?

While I understand Gmail is a Google product, same as Android, is Google flirting with a lawsuit? As TechCrunch mentions, having cute little icons for all mobile devices (or at least several of the most popular) would be a cool. Plus, bundling more and more of their own products together is casting them in the same light that Microsoft lives in. And we all know how often anti-trust issues seem to crop up around them.

Impending doom aside, with this lab feature enabled you can remain fairly confident that at the very least you’ll come off as a dork. And just in case you were wondering, I enabled this feature. Dork I are…

TechCrunch

Outlook 2010 getting more social.

Have you been sitting at your desk staring at Outlook and wondering why you couldn’t view other types of information about your contacts? I’m not talking about the simple information you can find by opening up the address book. I’m talking about integration with outside sources. Sources such as social networking sites. If Outlook is supposed to be this huge communication tool, syncing up or at least displaying social networking information tied to your Outlook contacts would be a huge benefit.

Welcome to Outlook Social Connector, a new feature coming from Microsoft, set to debut in Outlook 2010. The gist of the social connector is just as I was describing above. In keeping with the times, Microsoft realizes how much information end users put on social networking sites and how often they interact with that information — both their own and other users.

For now, the only native connection Outlook can make is to Sharepoint. Hardly a big move in the “social direction”. Another discouraging fact is that early on, LinkedIn will be the only 3rd party social networking service to play nice with OSC. Microsoft does note however that ss launch time nears next year, we can expect to see more social networks joining the fray.

I have to use Outlook at work and generally am impartial to it. I’m not amazed nor am I disappointed. It’s a corporate based email client. It is what it is. But the new social aspects are pretty cool even if a bit plain. Still, just because Microsoft releases such features doesn’t mean that everyone will be able to make use of them. Larger more security paranoid corporations will more than likely disable or neuter many if not all of the social aspects as leaking company secrets and an overall jovial, lighter mood isn’t exactly your stereotypical business environment.

Apart from over controlling corporations, are you eager to see how the Outlook Social Connector evolves? For the first time in a while, I can actually say this Microsoft product has me intrigued.

Notebook Review

Xperia X10 delayed?

Can something be delayed if it hasn’t even been given an “official” release date? If you can manage to work yourself around that question, focus your attention on the Sony X10. While a February 2010 date was seen floating around the page above but a few days ago, today nothing but good ‘ol “TBA” finds itself front and center. Sadness? Or is this business as usual with Sony trying to cushion themselves from any self inflicted delays? I personally can’t wait to feel Rachel up so this so called delay is mildly disheartening…

Phandroid