Imagine the title of this story spoken by the narrator of The Super Friends. What? That reference was too old?!? Damn it…. Anyway, as some of you know, I started writing for Padvance yesterday. Below are the stories I’ve written so far. If you’re interested in the topics, I’d appreciate a visit over there. Thanks muchly!
Making the Transition to Digital Comics with Comixology
Does Keiji Inafune Get iOS Gaming?
Sony Computer Entertainment has announced plans to release a software development kit for PlayStation Suite. Some of you will recall that PlayStation Suite offers games for Sony’s Android products and the upcoming PlayStation Vita. One of Android’s glaring weaknesses is games; due to a wide variety of hardware and mediocre development tools, Android game is several steps behind iOS gaming. A PlayStation Suite SDK is a potentially useful and lucrative tool for mobile game developers and would make Sony’s Android offerings more attractive to consumers.
Here’s more from the press release:
Supporting C# as the programming language, PS Suite SDK can run programs developed in C# on virtual machine equipped on both PS Certified devices and PS Vita. By supporting development for multiple devices and by adopting libraries to create a variety of content not only limited to games, PS Suite SDK will not only help developers save their cost in creating new content but also allow them to efficiently create their content on one SDK and without having to create on several different SDKs.
Through PS Suite, SCE will deploy various measures to supportcontent developersin their business forrapidly prevailing Android based portable devices and will expand the PlayStation entertainment experience on an open operating system.
This is a great move for Sony. If developers take to the SDK then products like the Sony Ericcson Xperia Play, Sony Tablet P, and Sony Tablet S would have a nice differentiator. The Vita would (potentially) also get some nice downloadable games that would satisfy impulse purchases. The Android phone and tablet markets are extremely competitive; a superior gaming experience would help Sony’s Android goods stand out.
Android as a whole needs every gaming initiative it can get. While the next version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, is supposed to bring development tools that address hardware fragmentation and Google has improved the development environment, it’s still considerably behind Apple iOS. As I’ve said in the past, I’ve mostly given up on Android gaming, but all it takes is a good set of tools and talented developers to invigorate the market.
On a side note, I’m surprised that this is even happening. Sony’s numerous departments have rarely played well together. It’s nice to see Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Electronics joining forces for the greater good. Imagine all the amazing things the company could do if its executives didn’t hate each other?!? *snicker*
What do you think of Sony betting on Android with a PlayStation Suite SDK? Will it lead to quality Android games? Or will Android always be behind iOS in terms of gaming?
HTC has revealed the first phone produced from its partnership with Beats Audio (Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine) — meet the HTC Sensation XE! As you’ve probably guessed, the phone is based on the popular HTC Sensation. Key differences found in the XE are a larger battery, distinct black and red styling, a pair of Beats Audio earphones, and special sound algorithms. Here’s more from the press release:
The HTC Sensation XE is the first handset to offer a Beats Audio experience — a combination of software & hardware that allows you to hear music the way the artist intended. When used with the exclusive Beats by Dr. Dre in-ear headphones, the handset automatically switches to the bespoke Beats by Dr. Dre sound profile, delivering audio tracks tuned specifically for the headphones.
Whether you are using any of the many music services available in the Android market you will notice fuller bass and crisper vocals and a new level of clarity and range offering audio the way the artist intended it to be heard.
This looks like a great update to the Sensation, but it doesn’t address my biggest issue with the original — its disappointing qHD screen. While the 960 x 540 resolution is great compared to the standard 800 x 480 found on most current Android phones, the screen was dull compared to the ones on the Samsung Galaxy S II and iPhone 4. A new paint job and improved audio make the Sensation XE a more appealing package, but it doesn’t make up for the screen’s disappointing image quality.
That said, I’m sure it’ll be a great phone. Check out the official specs and the image gallery below. If you have a chance, please let me know what you think!
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The HTC Sensation XE will be available in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East by the end of September. Due to the stupid nature of the U.S. market, I’m not sure if it’ll be coming here (officially). Perhaps the HTC Vigor will be the first Beats Audio in America. Personally, I’m holding out for an HTC/Beats phone that comes with a visit from Dr. Dre.
GameStop faces a rocky transition to the digital world. The company is already selling codes for digital downloads, but it appears it will take a giant step by release a GameStop-branded Android tablet. The tablet will focus on gaming (duh) and push titles that are certified by GameStop. According to Gamasutra:
The company also revealed today that it is set to launch its own brand of Android gaming tablet, which will be classed as a “GameStop certified gaming platform.”
If the company is going to get into the increasingly crowded tablet market then setting up its own ecosystem is definitely the way to go. HTC, LG, and Samsung make quality Android tablets, but haven’t made a splash at retail. This is partially because the tablet version of Android (Honeycomb) is immature and mostly because Honeycomb’s ecosystem isn’t as robust as Apple iOS’ tablet offerings.
Most pundits believe that Amazon’s upcoming Android tablet will do well because of its allegedly cheap price and rich ecosystem (Amazon App Store, Amazon Cloud Player, Amazon Instant Movies, etc.). I could see GameStop doing some damage with a younger audience by selling a similarly cheap Android tablet that focuses on gaming and a GameStop-branded social experience that brings players together.
Of course my big fear is this thing will use a customized version of Android that’s ugly as hell. GameStop has never been great with aesthetics. Its stores are ugly and its web site isn’t particularly attractive. I can see some GameStop marketing hack commanding designers to create an Android skin using the gaudy graphics and text found in GameStop stores. There are lots of sharp people at GameStop and I’d like to think that someone would be smart enough to try to steal the look of iOS or webOS…but marketing hacks often prevail.
What do you think of the prospects of a GameStop tablet powered by Android? What would GameStop need to do to help it succeed?
Back in September 2010, RPadholic bsukenyan correctly predicted that the next version of Google Android would be called Ice Cream Sandwich (well, he was close enough). My guess for the version after that was Jellybean. According to ThisIsMyNext, my guess was right! Check it out:
We’re hearing from a trusted source this afternoon that the next version of Android after Ice Cream Sandwich will be known as “Jelly Bean,” continuing Google’s longstanding tradition of naming Android builds after sweet treats in alphabetical order. What we don’t yet know is the version number — in fact, Google has yet to say what Ice Cream Sandwich’s version number will be, much less Jelly Bean’s.
The site has additional information on Jellybean. If you’re an Android user and/or fan then be prepared for some disappointing news. It looks like Jellybean will pack a lot of features that should have made it to Ice Cream Sandwich. Check out ThisIsMyNext for more details and don’t forget to click on the video above to celebrate Android Jellybean with Shonen Knife’s excellent “Flying Jelly Attack”!
TechCrunch’s resident Apple fanboy MG Siegler nabbed a helluva scoop on Amazon’s upcoming Android tablet. He claims to have had hands-on time with a prototype. Dubbed the Amazon Kindle, the tablet is slated for a November release for a price of $250. It uses a highly customized version of Google Android that focuses on Amazon services like Amazon Cloud Player, Amazon Instant Video, Amazon Kindle, and Amazon App Store. Here are some other details:
Some of you will remember that I’m pretty amped for Amazon’s Android tablet. I use a lot of Amazon and Google services, so it sounds ideal for me. That said, I’m alarmed that the default Android apps aren’t on the Kindle. It looks fantastic for “play”, but without the native Gmail app it’s far less useful to me for “work”.
Again, it’s a great scoop from Siegler and I highly recommend checking out the article. When you’re done with that, please let me know what you think of the Amazon Kindle Android tablet.
At IFA 2011, several mobile phone manufacturers showed off super-sized models. I’m talking about electronics that some feel are too big to be considered a phone, but are too small to be considered a tablet. Two examples are…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Klatch’s Panama Kotowa Duncan, the soul-crushing struggle of job hunting, or AJ Burnett raising his game to mediocre levels, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
At IFA 2011, several mobile phone manufacturers showed off super-sized models. I’m talking about electronics that some feel are too big to be considered a phone, are but too small to be considered a tablet. Two examples are the Samsung Galaxy Note (5.3-inch screen at 1280 x 800) and the HTC Titan (4.7-inch screen at 800 x 480). Considering that some people feel that phones like the HTC Thunderbolt (4.3-inch screen) are too big, I’m curious to see how consumers will react to these larger phones.
As for me, I’m all for phones like the Galaxy Note. I love that it packs a large screen and a high resolution. Right now I’m alternating between the Thunderbolt and the T-Mobile G2x by LG. While the four-inch screen on the G2x is certainly large, lately I’ve found that I prefer the larger screen on the Thunderbolt. More than anything else, I use my phone for reading. Whether it’s web sites or emails, a larger screen and a higher resolution would make things easier and more enjoyable for me.
How about you? What do you think of phones featuring screens that are larger than 4.7 inches? Are they too big? Or could you see yourself rocking one?
I spent a large part of yesterday talking to friends and colleagues in the mobile tech industry. As you’ve probably guessed, the hot topic was the Justice Department’s lawsuit to block AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile. Everyone I spoke to agreed that most people were taking the news of the lawsuit the wrong way; just because the Justice Department is suing, doesn’t mean that the deal is dead. However, opinions were split on how this is all going to pan out. Let’s look at a few of the possibilities.
The most popular scenario is that the acquisition goes through, but with AT&T having to make more concessions than originally planned. People that expressed this opinion believe that the lawsuit is just a tactic to weaken AT&T’s stance. Some believe that AT&T’s lobbyists (and the money behind them) are too powerful for the deal to completely die.
Number two on the list is that T-Mobile ends up with another company. While several people mentioned this possibility, the proposed partners were all over the place. Dream suitors mentioned include Sprint, Google, Cox Cable, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cablevision. The one issue with this scenario is that nobody thinks that T-Mobile can get anything close to the $39-billion offered by AT&T. Will Deutsche Telekom be willing to take a deal for significantly less money?
Oddly enough, the least popular possibility was T-Mobile giving it another go on its own. Some of you will remember that if the AT&T acquisition falls through then T-Mo receives a cool $6-billion — $3-billion in cash plus $3-billion in spectrum and roaming rights. While that’s a significant amount of money and assets, my pundit pals believe that it’s not enough to keep T-Mobile going. The company has been losing customers and is already less valuable than it was when the acquisition was announced. At best, my friends believe the children are our future that T-Mobile’s consolation prizes will be used to increase the price to its potential buyers.
As for me, I’m going with the first possibility. I think that the acquisition still goes through. The honest reason is that I don’t expect the government to do what’s right for American consumers. I’ve been conditioned to believe that money and special interests will trump doing the right thing. Am I being cynical? Certainly. Am I being irrational? I don’t think so.
What do you think of all this? How do you think the The Justice Department vs. AT&T will shake down?
After months and months of waiting, Samsung has finally announced that its Galaxy S II Android phone will be coming to North America. AT&T and Sprint will be getting the phone in September, while T-Mobile’s version will be arriving at a later date. All three versions of the phone will be running Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) with Samsung TouchWiz, have 16GB of internal memory, have an eight-megapixel rear-camera, and sport a two-megapixel front-facing camera. There are some distinct differences between the three models. Cue the Degeneration X music as I break it down!
AT&T: This model is closest to the international version. It sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen and a 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos processor, which is currently the most powerful mobile phone processor on the market. It’s using the Samsung Galaxy S II name and will be available in September.
Sprint: Dubbed the Samsung Epic Touch 4G, Sprint’s version of the Galaxy S II features a larger 4.52-inch screen, a larger batter, and a WiMax radio. It will be the first Galaxy S II out of the gate, hitting on September 16, 2011.
T-Mobile: Few details were revealed about the Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile. Most experts believe that it will be hitting later than its counterparts and previous rumors pointed to an October release. There’s also a chance that it will not feature an Exynos processor. The word on the street is that this version will go with a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core chip in order to be compatible with a modem that works with T-Mo’s HSPA+ 42 network. If that’s true then it will be interesting to see if consumers will be willing to sacrifice processing power for faster connectivity.
There’s no doubt that all three American Galaxy S II models will be excellent phones that sell well, but are they arriving too late? When the global version of the Galaxy S II went on sale in May 2011, it was unmatched and remained that way for the entire summer. September and October releases have a lot more competition, including the iPhone 5 and the (rumored) Nexus Prime. Hell, as I’m typing this there are a bunch of great phones being unveiled at the IFA 2011 trade show, some of which will be available before the end of the year and outperform the Galaxy S II.
My friend Shacknews Garnett and I were debating about this topic. We both believe that the phone would have killed in America if it were released in the summer. He blamed Samsung for bungling the launch. I believe that the stupid way the U.S. market works is to blame. The carriers want their own special flavor of the Galaxy S II and need time to ensure that their bloatware works on their custom model. Samsung is all about getting its flagship phone on as many carriers as possible, so it had no choice but to wait until the American carriers got their crap together.
Please let me know what you think about the American Galaxy S II line. Any guesses on the T-Mobile holdup? Do you think the phone is arriving in the U.S. too late? Is it Samsung’s fault or is it just playing the game it has to play in order to sell in America?
XDA.cn has posted a video walkthrough of what’s allegedly HTC Sense 3.5. Most people believe that Sense is the best Android skin on the market and this video shows that HTC is committed to staying on top. I’m a huge fan of Sense and I love many of the enhancements it provides. The active lock screen and excellent widgets are some of my favorite features of Sense 3.0. Those features are still intact, but there are a number of nifty additions to be found in this five-minute video. It’s a little slow and could use some music, but there are some moments that will make you say, “That’s pretty slick!”
