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Feb

Sprint Loses $1.3 Billion In Fourth Quarter, But Gains 1.6 Million Subscribers

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Sprint

Sprint posted its fourth quarter earnings this morning, and they definitely painted a mixed picture of the company's financial position. On the one hand, the Alamo of unlimited data increased its subscriber base by 1.6 million in the last quarter, with big thanks likely owed to the addition of the iPhone to Sprint's lineup - giving them a significant advantage over their primary price point rival, T-Mobile.

Unfortunately, also because of the iPhone, the company managed a $1.3 billion net loss for the quarter, owed in large part to the massive cost of providing the device ($15.5 billion over 4 years) to customers at heavily subsidized price points.

Jan

Editorial: Android May Be Winning (Or Not Losing) Battles Against Apple In Court, But Don't Expect An End To The Lawsuits Any Time Soon

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Legal, News

Last Updated: January 27th, 2012

A recent Newsweek article has been making the rounds claiming, through an unnamed Apple "insider," that Apple has spent north of $100 million litigating its various grievances against HTC since late 2010. Verifying the accuracy of this number is pretty much impossible. But that doesn't really matter. It may just as well be $80 million, $150 million, or $300 million - the conclusion drawn would remain the same: Apple is spending quite a chunk of income on its growing lawsuit habit.

Apple currently has open suits against Motorola Mobility, Samsung Electronics, and HTC in the ITC (International Trade Commission), a number of US District Courts, and various other buildings in which judges are known to sit in ornate leather chairs for long periods of time around the world.

Jan

Editorial: Steve Wozniak Isn't Afraid To Criticize iOS's Shortcomings, And We Shouldn't Be Afraid To Call Out Android's

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials

When I read the comments of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in an interview with The Daily Beast, my first thought was "this sounds like an eminently reasonable man making some well-reasoned points." Of course, being an Android site, we took interest in Wozniak's comments on Android's superior (in some respects) voice commands, as well as his praise of its workable built-in navigation solution (something iOS currently lacks outright).

I've used Siri. It's pretty fun (and funny) at times. But in my opinion, it doesn't do many things better than Android's voice commands (word recognition is, perhaps, a little better - though I've not compared it to Android 4.0's instant STT engine, which I've heard is a big improvement).

Dec

Meanwhile In Indonesia… Nexian Offers Android Magic A893 – A Familiar-Looking Device Which Allows Users To "Switch Up"

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Videos

Adding to the ever-growing list of knockoff devices found overseas, Nexian (an Indonesian mobile phone manufacturer) brings us the Android Magic A893 – a device that looks awfully similar to the iPhone, but which packs Android 2.2 Froyo and rings in at IDR 1,599,000 (about $175 USD). To get a better idea of the device's eerily familiar form factor, check out this unboxing video:

And here are the device's (less than magical) specs:

Android 2.2 Froyo
WCDMA 2100MHz and GSM 900/1800 MHz compatibility
HSPA/EDGE/GPRS
3.5" HVGA multitouch display
VGA front shooter and 2MP rear camera
Wi-Fi connectivity
Bluetooth
FM Radio
3.5G Connectivity
8GB Internal memory

To the Magic's credit, the inclusion of interchangeable back plates is a nice touch, and the fact that the device (allegedly) has a capacitive display may put this device slightly above other knockoffs you may have seen.

Nov

Samsung Knocks Apple's Cult Following In New Ad, Tells Customers "The Next Big Thing Is Already Here"

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy S II, Off-Topic, Samsung

Last Updated: November 24th, 2011

In a new 60-second ad spot that could be described both as hilarious and extremely bold, Samsung tells consumers that "the next big thing is already here" with the Galaxy SII, while taking a pretty strong shot at die-hard Apple fans, satirizing Apple's cult following.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4VHzNEWIqA

The spot opens with customers happily waiting in line outside a very Apple Store-ish location nine hours before opening. We then see a eureka moment when the customers catch sight of a Galaxy SII. Some are amazed. Others resist with retorts such as "I could never get a Samsung – I'm creative," to which another customer responds "dude, you're a barista."

What's great about this ad is that it refrains from mentioning Apple or the iPhone directly.

Nov

Motorola Says Apple's iCloud Infringes On Patent In Germany, Presiding Judge Seems To Agree

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Legal, Motorola, News

A court in Mannheim, Germany today held a preliminary hearing in a patent dispute between Motorola Mobility and Apple Sales International (a European Apple distribution subsidiary), and it seems like Apple's on the ropes.

While the hearing didn't discuss the particular merits of Motorola's patent infringement claim against Apple, the presiding judge issued substantial blows to Apple's defense by indicating that he believed the patent-in-suit was ripe for trial. The judge also seemed to agree with Motorola's reading of that patent (also known as "construction claims") in important ways that would allow it a broader scope of applicability at trial.

The judge did not seem interested in many of Apple's defenses, such as Motorola's claim lacking specificity, the patent in question being invalid, or that the patent should be construed more narrowly.

Oct

Timeline Graphic: US Android Phone Releases - We're Definitely Moving Faster, But How Fast Is Too Fast?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials

There's been some discussion of late that, perhaps, Android phone manufacturers are iterating handsets at a pace which is detrimental to product polish and subsequent software support. In fact, a couple of days ago I took a look at the state of Android phones on US carriers with a few simple charts.

I also promised to write another post looking at how quickly, as opposed to how prolifically, Android handsets are moving in the US marketplace. I decided to look at two carriers - T-Mobile and Verizon. In the interest of cleaning up the timelines, I decided not to include budget handsets or QWERTY phones, because we all know the subtext of this whole conversation: the iPhone.

Oct

Dan Hesse: The Sprint iPhone Is Actually Helping Keep Unlimited Data Around Longer For Smartphones

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Sprint

When Sprint confirmed that the iPhone 4S was headed to the US's Alamo of unlimited data, current Sprint subscribers feared that a tidal wave of iDevices could finally force the company to surrender to tiered data pricing.

Speaking to Forbes, CEO Dan Hesse said the iPhone was actually having the opposite effect, and that Apple's smartphone would actually reduce the rate of growth of smartphone data consumption because it uses Sprint's network more efficiently. Hesse claims the iPhone uses significantly less mobile data, and hits the network less often, than Android devices. Apple's strict guidelines about app network efficiency mean the iPhone, on average, is less data-hungry than its competitors.

Oct

How Bad Is Sprint's 3G Network Post-iPhone Launch? 45 Pages Of Complaints Bad

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Sprint

If there's one thing the iPhone 4S seems to be screwing up after its very successful debut, it would seem to be Sprint's 3G. Since the launch of Apple's newest iThing, Sprint 3G speeds have absolutely tanked for users in many areas. How widespread is the problem? Well, this 45-page (and growing) thread with nearly 700 replies over on the Sprint Community forums would seem to indicate the answer is "very."

The problem has affected everyone - as shown by lackluster results from some of our own Sprint devices of late while on 3G.

Samsung Epic 4G:

DL: 370kbps

UL: 306kbps

Ping: 165ms

Motorola Photon 4G:

DL: 214kbps

UL: 542kbps

Ping: 963ms

iPhone 4S users are reporting speeds even lower than these, sometimes much lower (like 50kbps).

Oct

[Fail] Samsung Either Lazy Or Trolling - Rips Off iPhone Maps Screenshot For Galaxy Player 50 Graphic

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Off-Topic

It looks like Samsung, on its webpage for the Galaxy Player 50, has ripped off the iPhone's Maps app, altering a screenshot ever so slightly for use in a web graphic of the 50. For reference, here's the original screenshot vs. Samsung's image:

The intentions here are unclear, but one can assume that this was no mistake - the red pushpins are a dead giveaway for the iPhone screenshot, and it's unlikely that this screenshot would be haphazardly tossed into a web graphic due to laziness, when it's so obviously ripped from an app featured on a device made by Apple, the consumer tech giant with whom Samsung has been so famously battling in the recent past.