- November 19, 2009 7:16 am
You can’t technically label a gadget delayed until it’s had a release date announced — or at least been announced at all. With that said, many analysts and tech reporters were pegging a March-ish release date for the wonder tablet (a.k.a. “The Apple Tablet”). THe original goal was to keep costs down and quality high. According to a new report and by comments from DigiTimes, Apple has decided to go for both quality and price. For the quality side of things, they have decided that they will continue on with a 10.6″ LCD based model and introduce a slightly smaller 9.7″ OLED model. The OLED will as many of you know look amazing — much better than the LCD while also consuming less energy. But OLED’s aren’t cheap and releasing one too soon would drive prices up to a point no one except the most loyal Apple fans would even touch. Because of that, the report says we can expect a several month delay pushing the Apple tablet into the later summer and early autumn months of 2010. Not exactly what you wanted to hear, I know. But doesn’t the mention of “OLED” make you at least a little bit happier/excited?
Should we trust DigiTimes? As ElectricPig notes, DigiTimes was spot on with their Nokia Netbook rumors. However, there’s also been many times they haven’t been so “spotted”. Know what I mean? We shall see…
ElectricPig > DigiTimes
In the wake of Android 2.0′s grand public unveiling, everyone is talking up how this is the Android we’ve been waiting for. With a truck load of new and exciting features, Android 2.0 is the most competent competitor to the iPhone and iPhone OS yet. So why does it need to get better? I’ll lay it all out right from the start: Since the iPhone 2G and iPhone 3G are powered by a 400MHz processor, why is it that they run circles around not all, but most Android phones, phones with processors roughly 30% faster clocked at 528MHz?
Now there’s one thing that needs to be highlighted and taken into consideration. The iPhone OS is not built for multi-tasking, therefor all the resources go towards only one (or a few when considering the in-house Apple apps) app at a time whereas with Android you could have many apps running simultaneously. With multiple apps open at once comes the obvious negative effects such as slow downs and other performance obliterating instances. If Android is so great and modern, shouldn’t these issues be cleared up already?
Many people, myself included, have started to cast Android as a “modern WinMo” of sorts in that Android is quickly encroaching into WinMo territory and spreading to countless devices built by many manufacturers. Much the same way Windows Mobile is received in the mobile world — one OS licensed to many vendors. The only difference is that Android is much relevant and lusted after.
With the issue mentioned above, Android’s seemingly laggy performance on even speedy hardware shoots a warning flare across my face. While I love how Android is overtaking the market and giving users options when hardware is concerned, I’m left with a nagging worry in the back of my mind that just as Windows Mobile suffers from poor hardware utilization, Android is too heading down that path. Take for example Windows Mobile 6.5 running on the few 1GHz Snapdragon powered beasts we’ve seen leaked so far. While indeed fast and snappy — snappier than pretty much everything else — if you were to take Android or the iPhone OS and run it on a processor clocked between 600-800MHz, the same performance could be seen. Again, it’s the poor management of hardware resources.
It’s understandable and given that the approach WinMo and Android are employing in licensing to many hardware manufacturers means more diversity at a slight trade off for tight integration. This tight integration is perfectly highlighted with the iPhone and iPhone OS. No surprise there. Though not all is lost. With the Moto Droid freshly announced and tested across the interwebs, we can see just what a close relationship between hardware and software achieves — perfection. Is Android 2.0 and the Moto Droid perfect? Far from it. But it’s pretty damn close and the closest Android has come to perfection so far.
Is Android doomed to a fate of Windows Mobile syndrom — slow, archaic appearance, and inefficiently programmed for life? Not a chance. The Android community is an active one. One that is constantly on the forefront of mobile OS technology. Android developers and programmers of all circles need to continue this forward push to keep Android progressing with the best. Efficiency just can’t be left behind.
I want Android to proliferate as Windows Mobile has done. I want to see it succeed. But I want it to do so without building the old, outdated stigma that has veraciously attached itself to the aging and lacking Windows Mobile OS. Understand what I’m trying to say? Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear it.
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- September 29, 2009 8:42 am
So far I’ve held off on really mentioning anything about the iTablet because so often rumors have come and gone with no tangible object in site. Not to mention, such rumors just drum false hope and drama. However, a new light has been cast on this much sought after gadget by way of a treasure trove of information that highlights some of the best features of the tablet that may or may not exist. Continue on inside for the full rundown…
An interesting war could soon be starting. No it’s not a war of man and military machines, but instead a war between an underdog and seasoned veteran. The underdog, Michael Arrington of TechCrunch teamed up with a Singapore tech startup, Fusion Garage to get his CrunchPad idea into reality. From the beginning, the CrunchPad was to be a $200 touchscreen tablet device that would eschew the typical local storage and focus primarily on the web in both program usage and storage (as the device doesn’t have any local storage) — all programs and data transferred will come from online sources. Another handy feature built in to the CrunchPad is the ability to use the tablet as a 3G modem for other electronics effectively doubling the usefulness of said gadget as it will also help many other gadgets. The ultra low price of $200 doesn’t appear to be sticking however as the Strait Times is reporting that at launch in November the device will ship with a new, larger $400 pricetag. Building you own wonder gadget is never easy. With a new Apple tablet rumored to be released in September, one has to compare the two and wonder who will win. The Apple Tablet will more than likely look better and have some form of OS X on it…whether it’s a modified iPhone OS or modified Leopard OS still remains to be seen. Current rumors foretell of the Apple Tablet coming with an iPhone OS of some sorts, but, it is a rumor so anything is possible. After reading a slew of reviews on each, spending countless hours drooling over pictures and videos, which device do you think you would choose. The sure to be gorgeous mega giant Apple Tablet or the underdog Crunch Tablet?
Source: Venture Beat
Apple’s stance on jailbreaking is nothing new. They hate it. They want it written into law as illegal (stupid). Many people who have a love for the devices potential are often left wanting more when Apple goes on and does truly stupid things….like banning GV apps. Because of the constant tug and pull of power that seems to go on between AT&T, Apple, and the iPhone end user, many users take matters into their own hands by jailbreaking their devices. It truly is one of the best things you could ever do for your iPhone. While it can cause some instability issues and other speed hiccups, those problems are most often caused by a bad app, not a problem with the jailbreak code. Still, Apple as of late has been relentless, pushing the issue that jailbreaking causes everything from system instability issues to supporting terrorism. (Don’t even get me started on that one.) A new support document published by Apple reveals just how misguided their view really is. The former claim, that jailbreaking causes system incompatibilities and speed problems within the OS, is nothing that anyone is denying. There are problems occasionally that require you to re-jailbreak. Again, most times redoing it will fix any outstanding issues. People who jailbreak are tech savvy enough to know the inherent risks and complications that can arise when tinkering with such a complicated devices’ code and inner workings. Still, that doesn’t give Apple’s claim any real credibility in regards to the real motives behind their claim.
