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The Sony Xperia S is a much anticipated return to classic Sony Design and with the lack of “Ericsson”  on the branding, it looks like Sony has turned over a new leaf. While the European Xperia S is the step brother to the American Xperia Ion, their similarities stop there and it looks like the Xperia S sports some breathtaking design – including the transparent stripe at the botton, revealing the radio antenna.

But let’s put beauty aside and talk about specs and how the Xperia S stacks up against other Android handsets – specifically if it is running ICS – Specs: 720p Zero-Air-Gap Display, 4.3-inch Chassis, 1.5GHz Dual-Core CPU, 12-Megapixel Rear Camera, Android 2.3 Gingerbread-Update To Ice Cream Sandwich, PlayStation certification – Full Specs Here. All in all, this phone is a strong showing for a Post-Ericsson Sony and a welcomed return to a company that has brought us so many great consumer electronic devices. Check out the hipster video below for more fun:

Source: Sony

If you’ve got an Android device, then you’ll love what Google’s added to maps! Google Maps 6 adds indoor view/layout to some of America’s biggest malls and airports:  Mall of America, IKEA, The Home Depot, select Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s locations, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Narita International.

I know, the list is limited but Google has allowed retail stores to upload their own floor-plans, thus adding to the database – yet another jump forward for Google’s amazing Maps platform. Along with indoor view, Google has also changed around the UI a little; allowing for quicker switching between subscreens and views. Want more info – Click here.

Source: BGR

Samsung’s new commercial, shown above, does a great job of mocking the rabid Apple fanboyism that takes place during a new product launch but does it do more harm than good? Pointing out the loyal Apple following is in itself, pointing out how successful the brand and products are – there is a fine line that has to be walked by Samsung, as to make a point but not be dickish about it. That said, one could argue that Android fanboys/girls are equally crazy when it comes to product launches. What do you think, does this commercial work?

Yesterday, Google held its music even in Los Angeles and unveiled Google Music – a music store to take on Apple’s iTunes but in a slightly different way. Sure, you get the much expected music store, where one can download song (99¢-$1.29 each)  - Google has managed to sign 3 of the 4 major music labels, leaving only Warner on the sidelines, plus hundreds or thousands of independent labels. So, what does that give us? Millions of songs and a very strong competition to both Amazon’s music store and Apple’s iTunes.

Very interesting clip from the overall interview and even more interesting is how Mark has evolved into a much better speaker/voice for Facebook. Additionally, the Facebook “spin” is heavy, especially when both Mark and Sheryl try to convince Charlie rose that Facebook is only in the Social business. The whole, “We do one thing…” argument is getting old, especially since Facebook is getting into the video/movies + music business. While Mark states that he is not in direct competition with Amazon and Apple, since Facebook is a service on the devices they build – it is very clear that Facebook is and will continue to move aggressively into the services that both Apple and Amazon provide.

Source: Charlie Rose

“They are coming!” Could the smartphone market be going where the PC market went 10 years ago? Gartner’s latest prediction, as to the future of mobile OS saturation and dominance, hints at the democratization of smart-phones but also to the shifting of powers. The Chart above says it all but essentailly, Gartner predicts that Android will rule the future, in terms of OS marketshare, with Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 taking second and iOS coming in third – all this by 2014.

Gartner goes on to say that it believes Apple will fall into this third place position because it is unlikely to lower its margins per phone, allowing competitors to sell their phones at cheaper prices, thus gaining market share. This is what we saw in the pc market, where Apple hold a 15% market share in the US but its profits (due to high margins) out weigh its competitors.

Personally, I believe Apple will combate this trend by releasing a cheaper version of the iphone because unlike the pc market, Apple makes tons of cash from the whole itunes ecosystem. Hardware sales are their cash cow but their vast saturation of iOS devices, also allows them to rake in billions from music/movie/app sales.

Gartner may say they predict the future but the tech industry evolves faster than their current statistical analysis allows – essentially they are predicting the future with present data – good luck with that.

Source: AppleInsider.com

Now that the honeymoon is over and the dust has settled around Nokisoft’s Mobile World Congress love affair, some interesting information is coming to light, especially from Bloomberg. I do have to warn you, the details are coming from: “two people with knowledge of the terms….” That aside, here are the details: Microsoft will pay Nokia $1 Billion greenbacks so that Nokia’s phone hardware have WM7 as their OS but then, Nokia will pay Microsoft a licensing fee for each handset “used”. So why the give and take? Well, essentially Microsoft wanted Android off Nokia hardware and the cash upfront deal was a sure-fire way of ensuring that Google got bounced and that, once the agreement is over, Microsoft recoups some of that cash pile back. I still believe that Nokia will get eaten up by Microsoft within the next 3 years – but here’s to this dysfunctional relationship…..I don’t want to see any police cars at the trailer park!

Source: BGR.com

You want another reason why you shouldn’t fork over cash for word processing software? Google has added mobile editing support for their free cloud-based word processing web app. Yet, I said mobile, so that means Froyo (Android 2.2) users and iOS (version 3.0+) get to edit away from their smart-phones in 45 different languages – if necessary. Large companies or educational institutions, spread across continents, will love this new feature and they’ll also love the fact that it’s still free. Need more convincing – check out the this link.

Source: Google.com

Do you get lost a large % of the time “they” let you out in public spaces? You’re in luck! Google has brought maps 5.2 to Android Market and the update to Google’s flagship mapping app packs a punch. Sure, it addresses bugs and performance issues but also brings, to all those using 5.2, the ability to Tweet place specific ratings, thus allowing friends to check in or “Ping” in. Solid update and as always, a must have map app.

Source: BGR.com

Where are the doubters now? Android is on the march, kind of like the “Droid Army” in Star Wars: The phantom Menace (No Sith Lord) and what better way to understand this growth than with a visually stunning timeline! Trust me, this is not like your grandpa’s camping trip slideshow. This was posted over at the Android Developer Channel for all our amusement. Enjoy.

Source: Engadget.com

“…..See Samsung build on the massive success of the Galaxy Tab…..” Really?

Breaking News: Motorola has just announced Xoom pricing and it looks like the leaked pricing was about right – $799 for the 32GB+3G tablet running Honeycomb. How does that stack up against the iPad? Well, the 32GB iPad+3G is $629 – I’ll let you do the math. Plus, while we know AT&T’s iPad “Pay as you Go” figures, we don’t really know what Verizon’s going to do.

The real damage comes from Motorola deciding that they wouldn’t have a lower cost, lower entry point Xoom. This is going to kill the sales figures, especially if Apple releases an iPad 2 at more competitive prices. Anyway you look at it, $600 is a lot of money for something that doesn’t quite replace your computer. Additionally, as the post below this one stated, Tegra 3 tablets are coming out in Aug – way to cut the life span of your hardware Moto – choice is good but you don’t want your customers feeling burned. I see Samsung tab sales figures – maybe a bit higher. NEXT!!

Image Source: Motorola.com

Looks like Qualcomm is working on adding Netflix streaming (DRM) to its future chipset lines (Snapdragon), which would be a massive thumbs up for future Android devices. See how I said “future” twice – yea, present devices are out of luck. Additional inhancments will include better battery life and enhanced video decoding – very nice. NEXT!!

Source: Engaget.com

Missed Google Android event this last Wednesday, no worries as the video just went up on youtube. The event centered around Honeycomb 3.0 which is the next version of Android and is specifically suited for tablets. The event showcases several features, demos games and shows the overall navigation and performance of Android 3.0, which looks really good. Enjoy:)NEXT!!

Source: YouTube.com

Android goes OTA! Google unveiled their Android web client today and while it had a bit of a rough start, things are at least working for me in terms of OTAs. Browsing the whole Android catalog is a lot easier now and this can be achieved from any device with access to the web – buying apps is equally easy with the addition to OTA downloads.

Having multiple devices is no problem as you can name/tag separate hardware so the client knows where to send the app. In addition to the rollout of this web client, Android will also adopt a in-app payment system – following Apple’s lead. Let’s see how this thing pans out – multiple bugs are being reported but that is expected with any new rollout. NEXT!!

Source: Market.android.com

What’s this? Oracle claims it has found not one, not two but 37 instances that its java code has been used (straight copy) in Google’s Android OS and guess what, they want their cut. This deabte has been heating up for a little over a year now and knowing Oracle, the lawsuit is going to be long, bloody and relentless until they get what they really want – a licensing deal for every Android device out there.

Now, let’s not jump the gun as there has been no suit, verdict nor outcome but this is not looking good for Android. Even if Google has to pay Oracle licensing fees, I seriously doubt it will pass on those fees to OEM’s or anyone wanting to use Android – more likely, it would swallow the fees so Android can continue its march to dominance. I forsee a cash printing machine for Oracle in the near future, with a logo of a tiny green robot on its side. NEXT!!

Source: AppleInsider

CES 2011 has ended and that means only one thing – let the “Best Of” lists come out! At the top of many lists so far, is the motorola Atrix and from what you can see above, it’s a smart phone with a twist. Essentially, the phone acts as a smart phone but also has the ability to dock into an ultra thin notebook and act as the boot drive, firing up a version of linux OS. The break down is that the heart of all your work is done, stored and transfered within your smart phone and when productivity comes calling, you dock the phone and start typing away.

I guess I don’t see the greatness here. “Docking” isn’t what I picture when I consider where mobile tech is going. Also, the Moto ultra thin notebook is just an added cost and once the phone is replaced, what are you left with – an under powered ultra light. All this just seems like a turn away from the future so many jumped on – the “Cloud.” Why dock? Why is it beneficial to dock your phone when you could just as well, stream or connect a single cable to the phone, allowing connectivity to a cloud based data base and work on a stand alone computer, which you already have. Why would connecting a underpowered smart phone to an under powered ultra thin be the solution?

So many in the tech world got had! They fell for the gimmick - shame shame. Oh and if this ever makes it to market – fail!

NEXT!!

Seriously? After all this time and all the rumors and all the speculation - can 1.11.11 really be the mythical day or is that fated day essentially the same as 2012 is on the Myan calendar? So, either Tuesday is what millions in America have been waiting for or dooms day! Take your pick.

Seriously though, if Verizon announces that they’ll be carrying the iphone 4 on their cdma network, this could be huge, especially for Apple. Android has been eating away at their market share for the last 18months – this was the only way Apple could fight off the Google invasion…for the time being. Some predications put the number of people with Verizon, wanting the iPhone at 9 million, Apple is set to have another blow out year.

NEXT!!

We knew it was just a matter of time and maybe we’re lucky it lasted this long but word out of China is that there’s a new Android effecting trojan on the war path. Don’t freak out just yet! Mobile security blog LookOut posted about the trojan and its potential:

“A new Trojan affecting Android devices has recently emerged in China. Dubbed “Geinimi” based on its first known incarnation, this Trojan can compromise a significant amount of personal data on a user’s phone and send it to remote servers. The most sophisticated Android malware we’ve seen to date, Geinimi is also the first Android malware in the wild that displays botnet-like capabilities. Once the malware is installed on a user’s phone, it has the potential to receive commands from a remote server that allow the owner of that server to control the phone.”

Do we need to lock the gates and get our “Anti-Brad Pitt” spray? No! This only effects third party app stores – so essentially Google Market Place is fine and will continue to be fine, at least for the time being but this is a reminder of what is to surely come as the mobile space expands. Source LookOut Mobile Security
NEXT!!